President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during his visit to a South Korean Special Warfare Unit base in UAE, Abu Dhabi, known as the Akh unit, Sunday (local time). Yonhap

Yoon describes UAE as 'brother country' during visit to Korean troops

By Nam Hyun-woo

ABU DHABI ― President Yoon Suk Yeol said Sunday (local time) that South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) face similar security situations, with the South grappling with threats from North Korea and the UAE menaced by Iran. Yoon even described the UAE as "a brother country."

The president made the remarks during his visit to the Akh unit, a South Korean Special Warfare Unit base in Abu Dhabi, on the second day of his state visit to the Middle Eastern country.

"You are here because the UAE is our brother nation," Yoon told the troops. "And (defending) our brother nation's security is as important as that of South Korea's. The UAE's enemy ― the most threatening nation ― is Iran and our enemy is North Korea… We are in a very similar position to the UAE."