RIYADH, Saudi Arabian officials asked South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to help develop the historical town of Diriyah during his visit there on the first stop of his state visit to the Arab country, his office said Sunday.
Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee visited the birthplace of the first Saudi state on Saturday, shortly after arriving in the kingdom for a four-day state visit, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.
He was met by Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih; Jerry Inzerillo, group chief executive officer of Diriyah Gate Development Authority; and a princess in charge of protocol affairs for the development authority, Lee told reporters.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and first lady Kim Keon Hee (R) pat an Arabian horse during a visit to the historical Saudi Arabian town of Diriyah, near Riyadh, on Oct. 21, 2023.
“Please assist so that South Korean companies can actively participate in Diriyah’s development,” Lee quoted the investment minister as saying, citing specific areas of cooperation related to construction, hotels and restaurants.
At the visitors’ center, Inzerillo pointed to a 30-meter-long media wall showing the history of the Saudi kingdom and noted it was installed by a South Korean company.
“South Korea-Saudi relations go back to the Shilla era,” he was quoted as saying, referring to the dynasty that ruled the Korean Peninsula from 57 B.C. to 935 A.D.
“It is a great honor to brief President Yoon, the No. 1 salesperson of the Republic of Korea,” he added, describing Seoul as his “second home.” No. 1 salesperson is a nickname referring to Yoon’s role as a promoter of South Korean businesses and exports overseas.
The Diriyah development project is one of five giga projects designated by the Saudi government. Estimated at US$20 billion, the project envisions the construction of luxury villas, townhouses, community centers, hospitals and shopping centers in the town located some 20 kilometers northwest of Riyadh.
Lee said the participation of South Korean businesses had not yet begun in detail prior to Yoon’s visit.
Later Sunday, the president is set to hold a summit with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for press affairs, noted this year marks 50 years since South Korean companies began entering the Saudi construction market and established a stepping stone for South Korea to overcome the 1970s energy crisis.
“It is the belief of No. 1 salesperson President Yoon Suk Yeol that we can find the solution to the external economic conditions surrounding our country and the polycrisis we face through a new Middle East boom,” she told reporters.
Source: Yonhap News Agency