UAE agrees to help Korea repatriate nationals from Middle East, bolster crude stockpile
Published: 06 Mar. 2026, 16:22
![Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport on Feb. 26 on the results of his three-day trip to the United Arab Emirates as the president’s special envoy. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/06/4994d2e8-07de-474c-b243-4cf644a181de.jpg)
Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport on Feb. 26 on the results of his three-day trip to the United Arab Emirates as the president’s special envoy. [NEWS1]
Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to help Korean nationals in the Middle East return home safely and ship an emergency crude stockpile to Korea, according to presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik on Friday.
The decision comes as Seoul moves to shore up energy supplies amid regional instability following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
“Late last night, the resumption of passenger flights departing the UAE was finalized,” Kang said in a briefing. “As a result, a large passenger jet from the UAE carrying Korean nationals has departed Dubai and is now heading to Korea."
“It is expected to land at Incheon International Airport at around 7:30 p.m. today,” Kang said, adding that the government would continue consultations with the UAE to bring home all Korean nationals as quickly as possible, including by deploying an additional Korean Air charter flight.
Kang also announced what he described as welcome news on crude oil supplies from the UAE. “Following instructions from President Lee Jae Myung, we discussed ways to import crude oil, and as a result, the emergency introduction of more than 6 million barrels of crude has been confirmed,” Kang said.
“We plan to immediately berth two Korean-flagged oil tankers, each with a capacity of 2 million barrels, at alternative ports in the UAE that do not require passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Kang said. “The UAE’s state-run oil company will load about 4 million barrels of crude oil stored at the ports so they can return as soon as possible.”
“We have received a promise that 2 million barrels from the joint stockpile the UAE holds in Korea can be made available to us at any time if we request it,” he said. “The emergency import of more than 6 million barrels of UAE crude oil will help stabilize energy supply and demand as well as oil prices, which have been reacting excessively in recent days.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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