South Korea's NIPA launches Korea IT Centre UAE at GITEX Global 2024

Dubai, UAE, 17 October 2024: The National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA), backed by the Government of South Korea, has announced the launch of its Korea IT Cooperation Centre UAE (KICC UAE) regional office at Dubai Internet City on the sidelines of GITEX Global 2024, held at Dubai World Trade Centre on 14-18 October

Reaffirming Dubai’s proposition as a globally vital business gateway, KICC UAE’s launch builds on the South Korean agency’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed during the 2023 edition of GITEX Global with Dubai Internet City, the region’s leading technology hub. The launch in Dubai marks NIPA’s first centre in the Middle East and represents the sixth hub in its global network, which covers Silicon Valley, Singapore, India, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City.

The regional office at Dubai Internet City, one of TECOM Group PJSC’s 10 sector-specific business districts in Dubai and the Knowledge Partner of GITEX Global 2024, will foster collaborative entrepreneurship and talent development initiatives by connecting Korean tech businesses and investors with regional innovators, inventors, and investors.

KICC UAE will assist Korean technology companies seeking expansion into the Middle East by establishing strategic relationships with key government entities and industry partners. The inauguration at Dubai Internet City 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 PJSC and Managing Director of Dubai Internet City in the presence of senior officials and industry partners.

Commenting on the inauguration, Vice Minister Kang Do-hyun of the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT said: “The establishment of the first KICC centre in the Middle East, here in Dubai, UAE holds significant meaning. It stands as a concrete and impactful 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, said: “The launch of KICC UAE at Dubai Internet City marks a significant milestone in our commitment to fostering a thriving global innovation ecosystem. It will connect Korean entrepreneurs and enterprises with their UAE counterparts and leverage Dubai’s strategic location and thriving business environment. Our Dubai Internet City address will be a hub for innovators to collaborate on groundbreaking solutions with the potential to not only benefit the UAE and South Korea, but also make a lasting impact on the global stage.”

“Securing the global future will irrefutably require collaborative innovation given the pace of the tech industry’s evolution, and NIPA’s centre at Dubai Internet City is a window into a future shaped by such cooperation,” said Ammar Al Malik, Executive Vice President of Commercial at TECOM Group and Managing Director of Dubai Internet City. “KICC UAE underscores our district’s pivotal role as a platform for enterprises and entrepreneurs, ensuring talent development through new opportunities, partnerships, and markets. We welcome partners like KICC UAE in our endeavour to create a lasting impact through tech innovation and contribute to the global knowledge economy, as envisioned by the Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’.”

Spanning 6,535 sq.ft., the facility features seven private offices, 18 co-working spaces and meeting rooms, and a dedicated showroom to host around 100 employees and visitors, with a calendar of four key events planned during 2025. Seven resident companies, including Wrtn Technologies, DeepNoid, CoreMovement, Genians, Mobiltech, Weeds Korea, and Angelswing will be established at the KICC UAE, in addition to Esol Information & Communications and PineC&I, which will use the hub’s shared office spaces.

These companies are set to begin efforts to expand into the Middle Eastern market with KICC UAE, which will provide industry data and insights to facilitate the participation of Korean technology companies and professionals in the region through Dubai Internet City’s ecosystem.

Dubai Internet City’s cooperation with KICC UAE strengthens bilateral ties between the UAE and Korea, which in May 2024 signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to nurture constructive economic cooperation between both countries, building on their non-oil bilateral trade of AED 19.4 billion in 2023. The UAE-Korea CEPA contributes to the UAE’s vision to double its non-oil foreign trade to AED 4 trillion by 2031.

Dubai Internet City has led region’s digital transformation strategy for more than two decades, serving as a platform for more than 3,500 customers, including Fortune 500s and SMEs such as Google, 3M, Microsoft, and Careem, in addition to 29,000 of the world’s brightest tech professionals.

Dubai Internet City is part of TECOM Group’s portfolio of sector-specific business districts, which also includes Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Science Park, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Outsource City, and Dubai Design District (d3).