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President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to members of the Akh Unit stationed in the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 15 (local time) during his visit to the country. (Yonhap)

Remarks that President Yoon Suk-yeol made on Sunday in which he called Iran the “enemy” of the United Arab Emirates are sparking controversy. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has demanded an explanation from the South Korean government and Iranian media is questioning whether South Korea’s policy toward Iran has changed.

The IRNA and other Iranian news broadcasters announced that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani stated that the ministry was “looking into and pursuing the meddling comments of the South Korean president” and is awaiting an explanation.

“What the South Korean official was quoted as saying shows he is totally unaware of the historical and friendly relations between Iran and the Persian Gulf littoral states including the UAE as well as the very quick and positive developments in this regard,” the spokesperson said. Kanaani also emphasized that the remark was “unwarranted diplomatically” and that he is awaiting an explanation from the South Korean Foreign Ministry about this issue.

On Sunday, Yoon spoke to the Korean military’s Akh Unit in the UAE that “the security of a brother nation is our security,” and that "the enemy of the UAE and the biggest threat is Iran, while our enemy is North Korea.”

In particular, the fact that Yoon’s remarks were directed at troops in the Akh Unit stationed in the UAE has added to the furor, as this could lead to a misunderstanding that Korean forces within the country are targeting Iran as an “enemy” of the UAE.

During the Lee Myung-bak presidency, Korea won the construction rights to four Korean-style nuclear power plants (APR1400) in Barakah, UAE, for US$40 billion in December 2009. In exchange, a secret military agreement was signed that stated Korea would provide military support in the event of an emergency. This came to light after the Moon Jae-in administration took power in May 2017, and presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok was hastily dispatched in December to readjust the terms.

Just as public attention over this issue began to die down, Kim Tae-young, who was serving as minister of defense at the time, belatedly admitted to accepting the secret agreement in the pursuit of Korea’s national interest, which touched off another storm. This agreement is believed to contain a clause stating Korea would automatically intervene in the event of an emergency in the UAE, but the exact details remain unknown.

When Yoon’s rash remarks devolved into a sensitive diplomatic issue, the president’s office quickly stepped forward to quell the fire. “This remark was made in the context of encouraging the troops, and is unrelated to Korea-Iran relations,” read a statement put out by the office.

In an attempt to dispel any misunderstanding that could arise with regard to the unit’s role, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also chimed in, stating, “The Akh Unit is a non-combat unit deployed for the purpose of conducting education and training in the UAE and protecting Korean nationals in the event of an emergency.”

When the incendiary reaction failed to subside, the ministry released an additional statement on Tuesday.

“The purpose of the remark was to encourage [the unit] to fulfill their duty to the best of their ability,” the statement read. “This is not connected to inter-state relations, including Korea-Iran relations. We hope [Yoon’s comment] will not be needlessly interpreted in a broader sense.”

The statement also stressed Korea’s “long-standing, friendly and cooperative relationship” with Iran since diplomatic relations were first established in 1962, and said the government’s position regarding continued development in Korea-Iran relations “remains as firm as ever.”

However, Iranian media outlets were not shy about their skepticism.

Local media noted that Yoon’s remark came at a time when tensions are already high over Korea’s failing to pay US$7 billion for oil imports due to frozen assets from US sanctions against Iran, and questioned whether there has been a shift in Korea’s Iran policy. The Iranian network Press TV pointed out that this adds to Korea’s unfriendly stance toward Iran in a situation where the country is withholding payments for oil.

Although relations between Iran and the UAE are strained due to territorial disputes over islands in the Persian Gulf and the Sunni-Shia conflict, the two nations have historically been closely linked in several areas and are not in a position where foreign leaders can label them as “enemies” in a public setting.

In fact, although the UAE tends to side with Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, the country has continually sought to improve relations with Iran. In particular, while other conservative Sunni monarchies including Bahrain and Qatar chose to withdraw their ambassadors after the 2016 terrorist attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, the UAE walked a different path by leaving its diplomatic missions intact.

There are approximately 8,000 Iranian businesses and five million Iran nationals in the UAE, with an estimated US$30 million of Iranian establishments in the country as well. The annual trade volume between Dubai and Iran amounts to US$12 billion.

By Jung E-gil, senior staff writer

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