The National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) of South Korea has officially launched its Korea IT Cooperation Centre UAE (KICC UAE) regional office in Dubai Internet City during GITEX Global 2024, which runs from October 14 to 18 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
This initiative reinforces Dubai’s position as a key global business hub and follows a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between NIPA and Dubai Internet City during the 2023 GITEX Global. KICC UAE is NIPA’s first center in the Middle East and the sixth hub in its global network, which includes locations in Silicon Valley, Singapore, India, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Situated within Dubai Internet City, one of TECOM Group PJSC’s ten sector-specific business districts and the Knowledge Partner for GITEX Global 2024, KICC UAE aims to foster collaborative entrepreneurship and talent development by connecting Korean tech businesses and investors with local innovators.
KICC UAE will assist Korean technology companies seeking to expand into the Middle East by forging strategic partnerships with key government entities and industry stakeholders. The inauguration was attended by Vice Minister Kang Do-hyun of the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT, Abdulla Belhoul, CEO of TECOM Group PJSC, and Ammar Al Malik, Executive Vice President of Commercial at TECOM Group and Managing Director of Dubai Internet City, alongside senior officials and industry partners.
Vice Minister Kang Do-hyun remarked, “The establishment of the first KICC center in the Middle East, here in Dubai, holds great significance. It marks a meaningful milestone in the digital sector, following the reaffirmation of bilateral cooperation during President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit to the UAE in January.”
Sung-Wook Hur, President of NIPA, stated, “The launch of KICC UAE at Dubai Internet City is a key milestone in our commitment to fostering a vibrant global innovation ecosystem. It will connect Korean entrepreneurs with their UAE counterparts and leverage Dubai’s strategic location and dynamic business environment.”
Ammar Al Malik emphasized the importance of collaborative innovation, stating, “NIPA’s center at Dubai Internet City is a gateway to a future shaped by cooperation. KICC UAE highlights our district’s pivotal role in ensuring talent development through new opportunities and partnerships. We welcome partners like KICC UAE to create lasting impacts through tech innovation.”
The new facility spans 6,535 sq. ft. and includes seven private offices, 18 co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and a dedicated showroom, accommodating around 100 employees and visitors. Seven resident companies, including Wrtn Technologies, DeepNoid, CoreMovement, Genians, Mobiltech, Weeds Korea, and Angelswing, will be established at KICC UAE, in addition to Esol Information & Communications and PineC&I, which will utilize shared office spaces.
These companies will work towards expanding into the Middle Eastern market, with KICC UAE providing industry data and insights to facilitate the participation of Korean tech professionals in the region through the Dubai Internet City ecosystem.
The cooperation between Dubai Internet City and KICC UAE strengthens the bilateral relationship between the UAE and South Korea, particularly following the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed in May 2024 to foster economic collaboration. This agreement aims to enhance the UAE’s non-oil bilateral trade, which reached AED19.4 billion in 2023, and contributes to the vision of doubling non-oil foreign trade to AED4 trillion by 2031.
