Led by Abu Dhabi Chamber, delegation from the emirate advances economic cooperation with Republic of Korea across priority sectors

A high-level economic delegation from Abu Dhabi has concluded its visit to the Republic of Korea with a series of agreements, investment discussions and direct business engagements aimed at advancing economic cooperation and creating new commercial opportunities between the two markets.

Led by His Excellency Shamis Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Chairman of the Department of Community Development and Second Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber (ADCCI), the delegation comprised representatives from 88 public- and private-sector entities.

Its programme brought together more than 400 government officials, investors, business leaders and institutional representatives from Abu Dhabi and the Republic of Korea. The delegation included representatives from the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), ADGM, ADIO, General Administration of Abu Dhabi Customs, Hub71, Abu Dhabi Police, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, KEZAD Group, Emirates Global Aluminium, Etihad Airways, Masdar City, Core42 and Al Liwan, alongside other leading institutions and companies from the emirate.

The visit focused on aligning complementary capabilities and advancing opportunities across artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, energy, water technologies, agricultural technology, education, entrepreneurship and research and development.

The programme featured two main events: the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum (ADIF) Seoul, led by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) in partnership with ADGM, and the Seoul–Abu Dhabi Business Matchmaking Forum, organised by Abu Dhabi Chamber in collaboration with the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).

ADIF showcased Abu Dhabi’s investment proposition, while the Business Matchmaking Forum focused on direct B2B engagement and commercial partnerships. His Excellency Shamis Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Chairman of the Department of Community Development – Abu Dhabi, and Second Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber (ADCCI) said: “This visit reflects Abu Dhabi’s clear direction to expand its economic partnerships with influential global markets.

The Republic of Korea is among our foremost partners, given its leadership in industry, technology and innovation. Abu Dhabi, in turn, offers a competitive business environment, advanced infrastructure and an integrated investment ecosystem that enables Korean companies to expand and access markets across the region and beyond.

“The agreements and business meetings held during the visit have established practical avenues for cooperation across several priority sectors.

The next phase will focus on developing these opportunities into long-term investments, projects and partnerships through collaboration between the business ecosystems of Abu Dhabi and the Republic of Korea, creating sustainable economic value for both.

” ADIF Seoul connected Korean investors and businesses directly with Abu Dhabi’s investment ecosystem, resulting in three ADIO agreements spanning investment, financial innovation, gaming and advanced technology, alongside additional strategic partnerships announced during the forum.

Through its agreement with Hashed, a global venture firm, ADIO will strengthen engagement with Korean companies, financial institutions and investors exploring opportunities in Abu Dhabi. The collaboration will provide access to market intelligence and connections across Abu Dhabi’s investment ecosystem, helping companies and investors identify and navigate opportunities in the emirate.

ADIO’s agreement with Hanwha Life, a leading South Korean life insurance company, will explore cooperation across digital finance, financial innovation and capital market connectivity, including potential opportunities related to digital assets and the tokenisation of real-world assets.

The agreement will support stronger links between the financial ecosystems of Abu Dhabi and Korea and explore how emerging financial technologies can enable greater investment and capital flows between the two markets. With Kakao Games, a leading South Korean game developer and publisher, ADIO will explore opportunities for the company to expand from Abu Dhabi into regional and international markets.

Potential areas of collaboration include publishing, localisation and live operations, alongside connections to Abu Dhabi’s gaming, creative and technology ecosystem. Presight also signed two agreements at ADIF Seoul to strengthen its technology partnerships in South Korea.

Its collaboration with the Gyeonggido Business & Science Accelerator (GBSA) will support startup deal flow, acceleration, cross-border market access and investor connections, while its strategic agreement with Dtonic Corporation will explore cooperation in smart cities and AI-driven data infrastructure, including the potential application of Dtonic’s AI OS across Presight’s existing and future projects.

Separately, the MoU between Further Asset Management and Four Pillars establishes a strategic collaboration to advance institutional adoption of blockchain through the development of compliant, chain-agnostic digital asset infrastructure.

As part of the partnership, Further Asset Management is investing in Four Pillars, bringing together Further’s regulatory presence and institutional network across the UAE and wider MENA region with Four Pillars’ research and on-chain engineering capabilities to support the development of compliant and interoperable infrastructure for institutional-scale adoption.

Together, these agreements reflect the expanding breadth of Abu Dhabi–Korea economic cooperation and the growing focus on translating bilateral engagement into practical commercial partnerships, investment opportunities, technology collaboration and long-term business growth.

In the financial sector, ADGM and Hanwha Finance renewed their partnership for Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2026. ADGM also signed an agreement with Hanwha Asset Management and Hana Financial Group to explore stablecoins, digital-asset infrastructure and cross-border payment and remittance solutions between Abu Dhabi and the Republic of Korea.

Abu Dhabi Chamber’s Business Matchmaking Forum brought together representatives of 55 companies from Abu Dhabi and South Korea for direct meetings across healthcare, artificial intelligence, food and beverage, industrial zones, robotics, financial technology and other priority sectors.

A key outcome was a strategic cooperation agreement between Emirates Hospitals Group and Jaseng Medical Academy covering non-surgical spine and joint care in Abu Dhabi and the exchange of medical knowledge and expertise. The agreement demonstrated the Forum’s role in converting business connections into tangible cross-border partnerships.

The visit took place amid growing Korean business activity in Abu Dhabi. The number of Korean companies registered as members of Abu Dhabi Chamber increased by 5.9 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024, while member companies with Korean partners grew by 9.2 per cent.

The outcomes of the visit established a stronger foundation for the next phase of Abu Dhabi–Korea economic cooperation, with a focus on advancing investment, connecting complementary capabilities and developing long-term partnerships that create sustainable value for both markets.