First lady Kim Keon Hee (L) tours the Museum of the Future in Dubai with Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (R), chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, on Jan. 17, 2023. (Yonhap)
ZURICH, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — First lady Kim Keon Hee met with a sheikha of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and discussed cultural exchanges between the two countries, the presidential office said.
A sheikha is a female member of a ruling Arab family, according to the office.
Kim met with Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, at the Museum of the Future in Dubai while accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol on a state visit to the UAE.
The sheikha is a daughter of UAE Vice President Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Kim noted that South Korea has yet to participate as a guest of honor in Dubai Design Week or other art and book fairs, saying she hopes for opportunities for South Korea and Dubai to “jointly open the future and develop through various cultural exchanges,” senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye said in a written briefing.
The sheikha also expressed hope for continued cultural exchanges in various areas, the secretary said.
Kim mentioned the sheikha’s skills in taekwondo and suggested she visit South Korea at a convenient time to personally experience the country’s culture and arts.
The sheikha responded that she has yet to visit South Korea but would like to do so in the future.
First lady Kim Keon Hee (R) looks at tomato plants at a smart farm operated by South Korean company AgroTech in Dubai on Jan. 17, 2023. (Yonhap)
Earlier Tuesday, the first lady visited the headquarters of AgroTech, a South Korean smart farming company operating in Dubai, and tasted a tomato grown at the farm.
“Food security is an important issue amid the climate and environmental crisis,” she was quoted as saying. “I’m proud that our business appears to be greatly contributing to resolving the global food crisis.”
Yoon and Kim later departed Dubai for Zurich, Switzerland, on the second leg of a two-nation tour.
(Yonhap)
