SEOUL, KOREA ― Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik returned to Korea on January 18 after securing an agreement with the leaders of Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to assist in the provision of a stable oil supply.
Kim met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, on January 17 to request assistance in the eventuality of instability in the oil market as a result of U.S.-led sanctions on Iranian oil imports. The crown prince promised his support and stressed the importance of working together to produce a concrete assessment of Korea’s needs.
Earlier, on the 15th, Kim met with Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said in Oman. According to Kim’s office, the sultan assured Kim that Oman would assist Korea as much as possible in the event of difficulties procuring crude oil.
During his trip, Kim also attended the fifth World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi on January 16, delivering a keynote address which introduced Korea’s renewable energy policies and called for further cooperation to expand green growth initiatives in developing countries.
Following the opening ceremony of the summit, Kim met with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss plans for maintaining stability on the Korean Peninsula in the aftermath of Kim Jong-il’s death.
Kim relayed the commitment of the Korean government to following a principled course of action and approaching opportunities for dialogue with a flexible attitude. Kim also expressed Korea’s interest in expanding humanitarian aid. Ban shared that he had talked with President Lee Myung-bak following the news of Kim Jong-il’s death and expressed his support for the attitude of principled flexibility.
Kim also participated in bilateral talks with Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak of Poland and President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland to request their support and cooperation in facilitating Korea’s accession to the Security Council as a non-permanent member.
