[Exclusive] UAE president meets Bang Si-hyuk and Kim Taek-jin… Discussion of entertainment and game cooperation

Bang Si-hyuk, Chairman of HYBE, and Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft, will meet with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on the 28th. Discussions are expected to focus on ways to enhance cooperation between South Korean companies and the UAE in the entertainment and gaming sectors.

What's going on: 

At the invitation of President Yoon Suk-yeol, President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE is on a state visit to South Korea for two days. On the first day of his visit, the 28th, President Mohammed will meet with major business leaders, including Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, Kim Dong-kwan, Vice Chairman of Hanwha Group, and Huh Tae-soo, Chairman of GS Group, at 1 PM. According to the IT industry, in the following second session, President Mohammed is scheduled to meet separately with representatives from the media and entertainment sectors, such as Bang Si-hyuk, Chairman of HYBE, and Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft. The industry expects that there will be advanced discussions on cooperation and investment between South Korean companies and the UAE not only in traditional industries like semiconductors, telecommunications, energy, and automobiles, but also in the entertainment sector, including K-pop and gaming.

This is important because:

Recently, South Korean information technology (IT) companies have been actively entering the Middle Eastern market, which is showing a favorable attitude towards these firms. For instance, Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and first in line to the throne of Saudi Arabia, is heavily investing in the gaming industry and holds significant stakes in Nexon (10.23%) and NCSoft (9.26%) through the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Additionally, Naver, following its participation in a South Korean government delegation to Saudi Arabia in 2022, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs last year. Naver also won the contract to build the digital twin platform for the Neom City project, which is being spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Similarly, Kakao is actively collaborating with the Middle East; on the 27th, the head of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority visited Kakao Mobility to experience its services and discuss potential business cooperation.

The meeting between President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and South Korean business leaders, including those from the media and entertainment sectors like Bang Si-hyuk and Kim Taek-jin, is significant as it underscores the deepening economic ties and potential for increased collaboration and investment between South Korean companies and the UAE in both traditional and emerging industries, including K-pop and gaming.

At this juncture, HYBE and NCSoft, key players in the South Korean entertainment and gaming industries, are set to meet with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This meeting holds the potential to open new opportunities, drawing significant market attention. The UAE is South Korea's 14th largest trading partner by trade volume, and President Mohammed is not only the President of the UAE but also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates.

Furthermore, according to a survey by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) on the state of the Korean Wave abroad in 2024, three out of the five countries with the highest increase in interest in Korean cultural content compared to a year ago were Middle Eastern nations (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE). This highlights the growing influence and appeal of Korean culture in the region, making the timing and outcome of this meeting particularly significant.

THE COMMENTS:

1. How can we deal with NC, seriously? 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
2. It turns out HYBE met the Saudi sovereign wealth fund?ㅋㅋㄱㅋㅋ I was wondering where the Saudi wealth came from.
3. Save the gaming stocks.
4. UAE wealth fund.
5. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund finally makes an appearance.
6. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund finally makes an appearance.
7. Saudi sovereign wealth fund..?
8. Saudi sovereign wealth fund appears 😭😭
9. Saudi sovereign wealth fund ㄷㄷ (shocked)
10. Oh, they met them themselves..
11. So the Saudi wealth fund didn’t just appear out of nowhere, it was in their heads.
12. Saudi sovereign wealth fund steps in.
13. Huh? Saudi sovereign wealth fund?
14. Oh, isn't that person the crown prince? Or was he also the president?
15. Saudi...?
16. Yoon Suk-yeol! Bang Si-hyuk! Kim Taek-jin! Cross!
17. ☞16 What a crazy lineup.
18. Saudi sovereign wealth fund steps in ㄷㄷ (shocked)
19. The Saudi wealth fund, it's their story ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
20. They always project their own stories onto others ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
21. HYBE is reaching new heights, and MHJ is ruining things out of greed 😭
22. ☞21 Stop bullshitting ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
23. ☞21 Puhahahahaㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
24. ☞21 Write that nonsense in your diary
25. ☞21 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋso funny.
26. ☞21 So cringe, saying they're reaching new heightsㅋㅋㅋㅋ
27. Saudi sovereign wealth fund appears?
28. Saudi sovereign wealth fund?...
29. They met them themselves ㅋㅋㅋ
30. Bang wants to join the political and business elitesㅋㅋㅋ The meeting of the Yongsan pigs.
31. S-A-U-D-I wealth fund!!! It’s always funny because what they say about Min Hee-jin is more related to themㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
32. Ssaudi wealth fund.
33. The Saudi wealth fund will welcome them well.
34. They met them themselves ㅋㅋㅋ
35. Is HYBE really that big?
36. The Saudi wealth fund appears here?
37. They really talked about it because they were actually involvedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I was wondering why the Saudi wealth fund was suddenly mentioned.
38. HYBE should just quit the idol business and go all-in on gaming!!ㅋㅋㅋ
39. Saudi sovereign wealth fund?
40. They brought it up themselves and then met with them, what a sight.
41. The Saudi wealth fund is here?
42. Finally seeing the Saudi wealth fund.
43. That damn game, I really hate games.
44. They met the Saudi wealth fund themselves.
45. Saudi wealth fund??
46. Corruption.
47. There's a reason they've been pouring so much into the gaming sector ㅋㅋ
48. Saudi?!
49. They met the investors themselves ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
50. Oh my, the Saudi wealth fund is here ㄷㄷ
51. This is embezzlement; start an audit.
52. All I can think of is the Saudi wealth fund, damn ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
53. They met the Saudi wealth fund themselves ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
54. Are these comments for real..
55. They were talking about the Saudi wealth fund to Min Hee-jin, but it was actually about themselves ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
56. Wow, are they really confusing Saudi with UAE? Idiots.
57. ☞56 Pretending to be cool while mocking others is hilarious. Feeling superior because you think you understand sarcasm makes you the dumbest of all.
58. I was wondering why they suddenly mentioned the Saudi wealth fund ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ damn
59. Bang-Park couple must have been running around Yeouido like crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋ Must be happy with their Yongsan pig pick.
60. It's interesting how the comments defending HYBE all sound the sameㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
61. Saudi wealth fund, damn ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
62. Did they mean UAE wealth fund but messed up with Saudi wealth fund? ㅋㅋㅋ
63. So that's why they were talking about the Saudi wealth fund ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
64. The Saudi wealth fund appears here? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
65. Saudi wealth fund? ㅋㅋㅋ
66. What's with these comments? They said they're meeting the UAE president, why is the Saudi wealth fund mentioned?
67. It's amazing how you don't get the sarcasm even after it's been explained above ☞83 It’s sarcasm ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
68. The ones taking this seriously are so funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
69. It's hard to tell which of the three photos is better.
70. Can you even step on UAE?
71. Unlucky allianceㄷㄷ
72. Of all people to meet, why meet these corrupt ones ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
73. The Saudi wealth fund is here ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
74. That damn game, I seriously hope HYBE falls apart.
75. Even if Taekjin meets them, he’s not a big deal. Instead, support local developers and companies that excel in consoles and PC games. We make great package games too.
76. Where is the Saudi wealth fund now that they're appearingㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ
77. Saudi wealth fund ㄷㄷ
78. If they feel guilty, they always try to pin it on others, it's such a typical local trait.

ORIGINAL POST HERE