The Tawazun Council for Defense Enablement (Tawazun) has organized the LIG Supplier Engagement and Localization Forum in Abu Dhabi, gathering top Emirati and Korean defense companies to discuss potential industrial partnerships, technology transfer, and joint manufacturing initiatives.
Dr. Nasser Humaid Al Nuaimi, Secretary-General of Tawazun, attended the forum alongside Hyonbin Hong, Senior Vice President of LIG Group, senior officials, and representatives of Emirati and Korean defense companies.
Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, Director-General of Industry Development Directorate at Tawazun, said that, “Forums of this nature play an important role in turning strategic ambitions into practical collaboration, by bringing together industrial stakeholders and decision makers in a single setting for open dialogue and the exchange of expertise.”
Focus of the LIG Supplier and Industrial Localization Forum
The LIG Suppliers and Industrial Localization Forum, which brings together national defense companies and their Korean counterparts, provides a focused platform to explore industrial integration opportunities, define priority localization areas, and develop partnerships centered on technology transfer and joint manufacturing.
“In doing so, the forum contributes to aligning national industrial capabilities with global supply chain standards, supporting the sustainable growth of the local defense industry and enhancing its long-term preparedness,” Al Hashmi added.
Expanding UAE-Korea Defense Partnerships
The forum featured a presentation by LIG, one of Korea’s leading companies in the development and manufacture of advanced defense systems. The presentation highlighted the company’s industrial expertise and its strategic vision for expanding partnerships within the UAE, alongside opportunities for knowledge and technology transfer and joint manufacturing with national companies.
The forum also reviewed the role of Korean suppliers in the development of specialized subsystems and technical components within LIG’s supply chains. It further outlined the opportunities this ecosystem offers to Emirati companies to join these supply chains and establish direct partnerships with their Korean counterparts, contributing to enhanced industrial integration and the expansion of bilateral cooperation.
The forum concluded with bilateral B2B sessions where Emirati and Korean company representatives identified collaboration opportunities, discussed supply chain integration, and explored direct partnerships within a mutually beneficial defense industrial ecosystem.
