South Korea's president slammed for labelling Iran as the biggest 'threat & enemy' to UAE

The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, has caused controversy during his visit to Abu Dhabi by stating that Iran is the "enemy and biggest threat" to the United Arab Emirates. He made the statement while speaking to South Korean soldiers stationed in the UAE. Yook compared the relationship between the UAE and Iran to that of South and North Korea. Stressing that the security of UAE is the security of South Korea, he said "The UAE's enemy and biggest threat is Iran, while our enemy is North Korea...We are in a very similar position to the UAE," as per a report from South China Morning Post. 

Iran has criticized the statement made by South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, calling it "interventionist" and "invalid". Iran has also demanded an explanation from South Korea. Nasser Kannani, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, stated that Yoon's comments reveal his lack of knowledge about the historical and cordial relations between Iran and the UAE and other Persian Gulf countries. He also added that Yoon's statement reflects his poor understanding of the recent positive developments in the relations between Iran and the UAE. According to a report from Iran's Press TV, Iran's Foreign Ministry is actively following up on the recent positions of South Korea, particularly the remarks made by its President.

South Korea's foreign ministry attempts damage control 

South Korea's foreign ministry attempted to clarify that a statement made by Yoon, which was seen as a threat to Iran, was intended only as a message of support for South Korean troops in the UAE. The statement from the ministry also stated that the remarks were not meant to imply any negative feelings towards Iran or any other country. Kim Joon-hyung, a former head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, stated to the South China Morning Post that Yoon's comments were not well received by either the UAE or Iran and that the situation was embarrassing for all parties involved. The liberal opposition party in South Korea, the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized Yoon's trip as a "diplomatic disaster" and said that it sent the wrong message that South Korea views Iran as a potential enemy.