RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s industrial and mining sectors will strengthen cooperation and enter potential partnerships with South Korean entities to further develop human capabilities, according to the state news agency.

These developments came after a delegation from the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources visited South Korea, where they held a series of meetings with officials from a number of government institutions and the private sector.

The visit aimed to review programs and initiatives in order to nurture human talent across the two sectors, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The delegation met with officials from the Korean Ministry of Education to discuss the future of training methods with regards to the industrial and mining sectors.

During the visit, the delegation also learned about the most prominent programs, initiatives, and technologies used in the Hyundai Motor Group and the Hyundai Occupational Training College.

In addition to this, there was a meeting with the Korean Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups in order to review the human capital strategy of both parties.

Moreover, the delegation also held discussions with representatives of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and talked about ways to further develop and propel human resources such as work-based learning programs.

Talent development strategies to be adopted by the two countries were also tackled thoroughly during the meeting.

The two countries also discussed talent development strategies that they need to adopt while exploring ways to facilitate the exchange of experiences. 

In April, South Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Youngsam told Arab News: “With Saudi Arabia, we have common interest in many economic areas, including the construction field and cutting-edge technology area.”  

Talking on the sidelines of the World Journalists Conference 2023 in Seoul, the minister added: “We do hope that we can realize more detailed cooperative projects between our two nations.”  

In November 2022, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and South Korean President Yoon agreed to develop bilateral relations into a “future-oriented strategic partnership,” and establish a special committee to promote cooperative projects.  

The November visit also coincided with the Korea-Saudi Investment Forum, which saw the signing of 26 agreements between Saudi companies and Korean counterparts across various sectors, including clean energy and construction in NEOM — the Saudi smart city giga-project.