Seoul: Top industry officials from South Korea and Qatar have agreed to maintain strong cooperation on energy supplies and expand their collaboration into various energy and shipbuilding sectors. This agreement comes amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, as announced by Seoul’s industry ministry.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun and Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi met in Seoul to discuss ensuring stable energy supplies in light of geopolitical issues in the Middle East and other regions. Qatar is a significant supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to South Korea, accounting for 19.5 percent of the country’s total LNG imports.

During the meeting, the two sides explored ways to deepen their relations in the plant and LNG carrier industries. They also committed to expanding cooperation into sectors such as renewable energy and hydrogen. Minister Ahn highlighted South Korea’s Carbon-Free Energy initiative, seeking potential collabor
ation with Qatar on this endeavor.

The initiative, proposed by President Yoon Suk Yeol during his keynote speech at the U.N. General Assembly last year, aims to leverage carbon-free energy resources to achieve carbon neutrality.