There was a report that Qatar declared an LNG moratorium and could not keep its (supply) promise. The final layover was Qatar, and they said a cease-fire was reached the morning after we arrived. Since we were there, we thought we should also hold talks with Qatar. With active cooperation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the local mission, we were fortunate to meet the king.

Chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik on the 15th announced the results of visits to Kazakhstan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the Chunchu-gwan at the Blue House. Visiting Central Asia and the Middle East as President Lee Jae-myung’s special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, Kang had initially planned to visit only three countries: Kazakhstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia. But on the 13th (local time), he made an unannounced visit to Qatar, a key importer of LNG (liquefied natural gas), and met with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, which was reported by ChosunBiz. ([Exclusive] Kang Hoon-sik makes surprise visit to Qatar… discusses strengthening energy cooperation including LNG)

At the briefing that day, Kang gave a detailed account of the circumstances behind the visit to Qatar. He said, “There were no flights to Saudi Arabia at all, so we had to transit through Qatar,” and added, “With the cease-fire, we pushed it urgently and were fortunate to meet the king.”

He said, “The Qatari emir expressed deep appreciation for the visit while explaining the circumstances before and after the (LNG moratorium) reports,” and “He said Qatar would increase investment in many industries such as AI (artificial intelligence), along with Korea.” He added that in connection with this, Qatar and Korea will set up a working-level group next week and discuss investment plans.

Kang said, “With Qatar (regarding energy imports), the question remains of whether the Strait of Hormuz will be open,” adding, “We received a firm commitment that as soon as the blockade is lifted, we will receive all the LNG volumes promised to be shipped this year.” A Blue House official added, “Excluding 1.13 million tons for which Qatar previously declared force majeure, it means the rest of the volumes will be reliably supplied.” Korea imports an annual average of 6.1 million tons of Qatari LNG.

There was also a question about Kang’s health after multiple trips back and forth to Middle Eastern countries amid the war. Having completed a grueling schedule covering three countries in Central Asia and the Middle East over eight days and seven nights, some said Kang looked more tired than usual.

Kang said, “When I came to the Blue House this morning, staff told me my face looked worse,” adding, “From each country’s perspective, offering additional volumes is difficult, so there was a protracted process. We did our utmost, and it seems that sincerity paid off.”
Source: The ChosunBiz