House speaker to visit Jordan, UAE and Turkey

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- The speaker of South Korea's parliament, Kim Hyung-o,
will make official visits to Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
later this month to beef up the country's economic and resource cooperation, the
prime minister's office said Tuesday.

"Kim will visit the nations from Jan. 16-28 to support economic cooperation and
strengthen diplomacy between South Korea and the Middle East," the office said.
Notably, Kim will be the first South Korean speaker to visit Jordan and the UAE,
according to the office.
In Jordan, his first destination, the speaker will meet with King Abdullah II Ibn
Al Hussein and inspect a thermal power station under construction by South
Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co.
He will then go to the UAE to meet with President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al
Nahyan to discuss ways to export Korean-made supersonic trainer jets to the
country and import crude oil more stably. Kim will also visit Burj Dubai, the
world's tallest skyscraper, being built by Samsung Heavy Industries Co.
In Turkey, Kim will meet President Abdullah Gul to exchange opinions on the
conclusion of a free trade agreement between the two nations, the office said.
hsj@yna.co.kr
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