Sheikh Mohammed inspectsr a T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic advanced jet trainer during his visit to Korea Aerospace Industries on June 16 2006. At far right is Abdullah Mohammed Al Maena, UAE Ambassador to Korea.

SEOUL(WAM)—General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces ended his official visit to Korea on June 16 with a visit to the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

Sheikh Mohammed was received upon arrival to the company premises by Hae-Ju Jeong Chairman and CEO of KAI , in addition to other senior executives of the company.

As he signed the guestbook, Sheikh Mohammed expressed his thanks for the invitation extended to him to visit the company. He further expressed his hope that the visit would open new avenues of cooperation between the UAE and Korea.

Sheikh Mohammed was briefed on the historical background of the company by the CEO, who said KAI was established in 1999 following an alliance of Samsung Aerospace, Daewoo Heavy Industries, and Hyundai Space and Aircraft Company.

KAI CEO expressed his hope that Sheikh Mohammed's visit would open new areas of cooperation , notably establishment of joint venture projects that would reinforce bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

KAI sales reached $ 700 million during 2005 and the company is targeting $ 1.4 billion in 2008.

Afterwards, Sheikh Mohammed attended a live demonstration for T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic advanced jet trainers. A committee from the UAE Air Force is assessing and evaluating these trainers.

During the live demonstration, Sheikh Mohammed acquainted himself with the various aspects of these jets , including their maneuverability and operational capabilities. Sheikh Mohammed then went to the airforce base where he viewed simulators for training in addition to other state-of-the art facilities.

At the end of his visit during which he was accompanied by the S. Korean Deputy Defense Minister, Sheikh Mohammed praised the sophisticated technology used by the base to train pilots.

Earlier. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited the "Future Life" Exhibition, organised by Korean Ministry of Information and Communications here.

The exhibition reflects the impact of hi-tech on modern life by depicting vivid images of the IT and digital technology-dominated daily life.

Sheikh Mohammed was received at the exhibition by Korea's Information and Communications Minister and senior executives of IT corporations.

Sheikh Mohammed meets with South Korean Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-woong.

He watched a TV film showing images of future life, highly influenced by IT technologies and digital networks. South Korea is striving to become a leader in the world's technology market by promoting this new concept into a dominant culture by 2010.

Touring the various sections of the exhibition, Sheikh Mohammed viewed a depiction of a modern household offering integrated life solutions based on digital technology and automation.

The exhibition displayed Korea's state-of-the-art technology in household appliances and family needs. Also on display was a wide variety of "smart solutions" that are poised to lend dominance in future life to the digital technology culture.

Sheikh Mohammed also had a chance to view the latest features added to the future generations of vehicles, to enhance security and safety.

Sheikh Mohammed watched live demonstrations of robots serving cafe clients, and of automated equipment cleaning household floors and roofs. He also familirised himself with the latest video communication technologies incorporated into telecommunication devices.

Sheikh Mohammed expressed his admiration of the exhibition.

"The products on display vividly demonstrate Korea's highly creative power to come up with practical solutions to enhance human life," he said. "I do hope that these achievements will be made available to the entire world community," he added.

Later, Sheikh Mohammed and the accompanying delegation visited the premises of Samsung Electronics Company where he was received by the CEO and senior management . He then toured the various sections of the Samsung complex. Samsung is a major Korean manufacturer, employing 128,000 distributed over 14 countries. It realised in 2005 a turnover of US$56.7 billion and US$7.5 billion in net profits.

Sheik Mohammed was briefed on Samsung's latest products in a wide range of areas, including smart chips, electronic networks, educational aids, telecommunication media, household appliances, home-based entertainment, and security and surveillance systems.

He also had a chance to view the latest editions of digital phones, and the latest generations of digital TV screens, particularly the giant 80" plasma screen which are being displayed worldwide but not yet put on sale.