“Bin Salman is the third leader to claim to be the driver.”
“Expectation of ‘Yoon-Xi Jinping’ summit at APE”
It has been reported that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and prime minister, Mohammed bin Salman, has asked President Yoon Seok-yeol to become a manufacturing-based partner.
In an interview with YTN on the 26th, National Security Office Director Cho Tae-yong said, “I was surprised too,” regarding President Yoon riding next to the car driven by Crown Prince bin Salman. “Because I wasn’t expecting it at all,” he said afterward. It is said that an interpreter was in the back seat of the vehicle.
In particular, Director Cho said, “This is not the first time that Crown Prince Bin Salman is driving, but it is the third time.” However, “As far as I know, (President Yoon) is the first non-Arab country leader.” At the same time, he said, “I think I wanted to express my feelings, ‘I gave you very special treatment.’”
While moving to the event venue for about 15 minutes, Crown Prince Bin Salman said to President Yoon, “While I am in power, I need to change Saudi Arabia, and to do that, I need to create a manufacturing base. Director Cho said, “I asked you to become that partner.”
He also said, “When large Korean companies come to the Middle East, they asked that Saudi Arabia be given priority for the headquarters or offices of the entire Middle East region.”
Director Cho said in an interview that day that the defense industry export contract with Saudi Arabia is in the final stage. He said, “The scale itself is trillions of won,” but did not mention specific details, saying, “What kind of weapons Saudi Arabia will buy from the defense industry and how much it will buy are all military secrets.”
When asked, “If a defense industry contract is signed with Saudi Arabia, will it lead to contracts with other countries in the Middle East?”, Director Cho responded, “Yes,” and added, “If Saudi Arabia signs a contract, other countries will also be able to purchase it, for example, Qatar. “It exists,” he said, expressing anticipation.
However, when asked about concerns about the risks of signing a defense industry contract with Saudi Arabia, which is close to Palestine, Director Cho said, “How do we (solidarity) with countries that have different values from ours? “As for mutual respect, common interests, and an international order based on rules, if that country is willing to abide by those rules, they can cooperate with us as much as they want,” he said.
Reflecting this, the joint statement with Saudi Arabia stated that it contained common denominators that would allow both countries to express a comfortable position.
“Creating a common denominator is possible because the relationship between the two countries is good and there is trust between the two leaders,” he said. “In the future, we will quickly restore peace in this region (Middle East) and minimize damage to civilians.” “I believe that cooperation and strategic dialogue will continue to provide humanitarian support to civilians,” he said.
Meanwhile, Director Cho said that there would likely be an opportunity for President Yoon and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in November.
“We are already talking to each other a little bit,” he said, but added that President Xi has not made a firm promise to come to the APEC summit.
In connection with this, it is predicted that the Korea-China-Japan summit will be held soon. Director Cho said, “I think the foreign ministers of Korea, Japan, and China will meet first next month. “I think the timing of the summit, agenda, and other things will be discussed there,” he said.
Regarding the timing of the event, he said, “It may be held within the year, but it may take place beyond the year,” and emphasized, “It is important to do what is important.”
Director Cho observed that it would be difficult for the third reconnaissance satellite announced by North Korea to be launched within October. He said, “The important thing is that they will shoot anyway,” and “New surveillance and reconnaissance assets will be created that can monitor us, and then the military threat will become greater.”
He continued, “We have reconnaissance assets on the ground because of the inter-Korean military agreement,” and added, “Our concerns are deepening.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.