Relations between Qatar and Korea have been steadily improving since their establishment in 1974.

The amount of trade between Qatar and South Korea exceeded $10 billion in 2021.

In an interview with South Korean News Agency Yonhap, Qatar’s Ambassador to Korea, Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Hamar, expressed Qatar’s desire to further strengthen business and investment links with Korea.

A major agreement for the construction of liquefied natural gas ships was reached between the two countries last year.

South Korea is one of Qatar’s most important trading partners, as well as one of the country’s main LNG buyers and investors. QatarEnergy awarded a contract for the North Field expansion project to a Korean company in March. The 20-year LNG supply agreement with Qatar was signed in July, and QatarEnergy placed the first round of LNG shipbuilding orders with Korean firms in late 2021.

Qatar’s Minister of Municipality and Environment also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Global Green Growth Institute, based in Seoul, in October of last year to strengthen climate change collaboration.

Another MoU for collaboration in the field of hydrogen energy has been signed by the two countries.

The sixth meeting of the higher joint committee between the two countries, which is responsible for promoting relations in a variety of disciplines between Doha and Seoul, will take place later this year.

The summit will cover energy and industry cooperation, as well as new non-traditional industries such as technology, smart farms, solar energy, healthcare, smart grids, and collaborative investments.

The ambassador added that he believes that cooperation in these new areas, as well as the continuing of close cooperation and the holding of frequent meetings between the two nations to track progress in various aspects of their partnerships, all contribute to the improvement of bilateral relations.

Since their establishment in 1974, relations between Qatar and Korea have been steadily improving, with a large number of high-ranking officials exchanging visits between the two countries over the past few years.

Additionally, in his interview, Al-Hamar urged Koreans to attend the FIFA World Cup 2022 tournament that will be held in Qatar, emphasising that it will be unique and different from previous editions.