We begin with President Park Geun-hye's week-long trip to the Middle East... which took her to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.<br />She has returned to Korea with prospects for stronger and much more active cooperation with the region.<br />Our Choi You-sun takes us through some of the achievements from the presidential trip. <br />Speaking to reporters en route to Seoul,... President Park said she felt that Korea's vision for revitalizing the economy through greater economic cooperation with the Middle East is being realized.<br />President Park said that one of the biggest achievements from her trip... was helping small to mid-sized Korean firms strike business deals in the region's so-called "new" industries.<br />In fact, one-on-one business sessions in each of the four countries, many of which were attended by SMEs, resulted in 44 bilateral agreements totaling 900 million dollars.<br />The agreements expand existing oil and construction-centered cooperation into the fields of nuclear energy, agriculture, health care, ICT and culture.<br />These post oil-era initiatives, the president said, are in line with Seoul's economic innovation plan.<br /><br /><br />"Previously energy-focused, these countries have started seeking multi-dimensional development. And that's helped us rediscover the Middle East, and encouraged the region to once again recognize Korea as an important partner."<br /><br /><br />As for the specific areas of cooperation, the presidential office listed Korea's first export of its creative economy model to Saudi Arabia, a deal between Korea and the UAE to develop Korea's halal industry, and an establishment of a cultural center in Abu Dhabi.<br />The presidential office said dozens of deals were made mainly because Koreans' expertise, credibility and hard-working style have helped build trust in the region.<br /><br /><br />"As it is with friends, I've started to believe that if countries value trust and work for it, we can make another leap in the Middle East."<br /><br /><br />To sustain the momentum, Seoul plans to monitor the progr
