Presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki will pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates this month and convey President Yoon Suk-yeol's commitment to strengthening the special strategic partnership between the two countries, the presidential office said Monday.

Kim will travel to the UAE in mid-December as a special presidential envoy to "reaffirm the special strategic partnership and convey President Yoon Suk-yeol's special commitment to strengthening it," the office said, adding the exact dates are under discussion.

The trip will be Kim's first as a presidential envoy.

He is expected to pay a courtesy call on UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discuss bilateral cooperation in the nuclear energy and other sectors.

In September, Yoon met with a UAE presidential envoy in Seoul and discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation.

The envoy, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, proposed increasing cooperation in nuclear power, energy security, arms and investment. (Yonhap)