SEOUL - UAE state oil giant ADNOC said on Wednesday it had signed a ​long-term energy ⁠security partnership with South Korea to expand cooperation on ‌crude supply, emergency supply coordination and strategic crude storage.

The partnership expands existing ​agreements, including a pledge the United Arab Emirates made in March to ​supply South Korea ​with up to 24 million barrels of oil, and was announced during a visit by Sultan al-Jaber, ADNOC ⁠Group CEO and the UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, to South Korea.

Both parties will seek to boost long-term crude supply to Korean refiners, improve joint coordination during ​emergency supply situations ‌such as ⁠seeking alternative ⁠export routes, and advance cooperation on international joint crude stockpiling in South Korea, ​ADNOC said.

South Korea also intends to ‌support talks on ADNOC's access to crude ⁠oil storage facilities in the country, including facilities connected to Korean refining assets, ADNOC said.

South Korean industry minister Kim Jung-kwan said on Wednesday that while the Middle East situation was entering a phase of change, securing stable core resource supply chains remained a critical task.

"The Korean government needs to strengthen our strategic partnership with the UAE, a key ‌energy supplier," he said.

South Korea is almost ⁠entirely dependent on imports for its energy, with ​70% of oil purchases coming from the Middle East. Earlier this year, the war in the Middle East prompted the South ​Korean government ‌to look for alternative energy sources, including ⁠from countries such as ​Kazakhstan.

(Reporting by Hyeyoon Cho. Editing by Mark Potter)