President Moon Jae-in held phone talks with the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates(UAE) to express his gratitude for the release of a South Korean hostage in Libya. 

Presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said that President Moon spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the phone for 20 minutes from 9 p.m. on Monday. 

Ko said the president expressed his gratitude to the UAE government and the crown prince, who doubles as the deputy supreme commander of the country's armed forces, for playing a decisive role in securing the release of the South Korean national.

Moon described it as a symbolic case that shows the world how robust the "special, strategic" partnership between the two countries is. 

In response, the crown prince said he hoped that bilateral ties will develop further.