S. KOREA-GCC TO RESUME FTA TALKS

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FTA talks between Korea and the Gulf region nations are to be resumed soon. President Moon Jae-in has arrived in Egypt, the final stop of his Middle East tour.

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The Gulf Cooperation Council consists of six Middle Eastern countries. They account for 78 percent of South Korea's trade with the Middle East and over 60 percent of its crude oil imports. President Moon Jae-in and the council's secretary general, Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf, agreed to resume FTA talks, which were suspended after 2010. The Korean government hopes the FTA will lay a foundation for strengthening cooperation with the Middle Eastern economy in the manufacturing, hydrogen, health care and bio sectors.

[Soundbite] Moon Jae-in(President) : "Cooperation between S. Korea and the GCC now includes health care, science and technology, national defense and security, ICT and IP rights. It has been upgraded to a new level."

President Moon also visited the construction site of the Riyadh Metro, the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, which is being built by a Korean company. On Thursday, the South Korean leader arrived in Egypt, the final leg of his Middle East tour. He is to meet with President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in the afternoon and hold a joint news conference. The two countries are currently in the final phase of negotiations over the export of Korean tanks and artillery. All eyes are on whether a deal will be signed after the summit.