A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between South Korea and the UAE has been signed as a means of promoting defence co-operation. This agreement is valued at $35 billion, with a focus on increasing military technology collaboration, defence manufacturing and strategic security initiatives between these two countries.
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote defence cooperation that would be worth more than $35 billion, Seoul's presidential envoy said on Thursday (February 26, 2026).
The defence projects will be in areas spanning anti-air defence, air force and navy, Kang Hoon-sik, who is President Lee Jae Myung's chief of staff, told reporters as he returned from the UAE.
The MoU signed in February 2026 establishes and extends the defence aspect of the overall vision. Years of increasing collaboration preceded this agreement. This deal reinforces the United Arab Emirates' desire to diversify its sources of defence, localise production, and develop indigenous capabilities in accordance with its overall national security policy.
This agreement has been signed while there are still many tensions within the region due to tensions between the USA and Iran in addition to regional security concerns. The relationship between UAE-South Korea defense will assist GCC to improve the missile defense system available to them, allowing for better defense relationship with South Korea to continue to secure more technologically advanced military equipment from outside the West.
Also Read: UAE Strengthens Partnership With Germany; Bonds Over Energy and AI Deals
The agreement between both nations follows the momentum from the state visit of South Korean President, Lee Jae-myung, to Abu Dhabi in November 2025, when the two countries signed seven agreements related to artificial intelligence, space, nuclear power, and defence.
Seoul's Presidential Office estimated $35 billion combined economic benefits from defence and artificial intelligence sectors, with potential contracts of over $15 billion from joint development, local production within the UAE, and co-export of defence systems to third parties.