South Korea’s Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Yang Young-mo met with Qatari defence officials in Doha to discuss enhancing cooperation during his first visit to the country.
South Korea’s Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Yang Young-mo met several Qatari defence officials in Doha this week during his first visit to the country.
On Tuesday, the Korean navy official met Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah. This followed a separate meeting with the Chief of Staff of the Qatar Armed Forces Lieutenant General (Pilot) Salem bin Hamad bin Aqeel Al Nabit.
In statements on both meetings, Qatar’s defence ministry (MOD) said both sides “discussed topics of common concern” in addition to the enhancement of cooperation relations.
According to Korean news agency Yonhap, the navy chief’s visit is part of a two-nation tour that includes Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The visit came months after Qatar and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding in February to strengthen defence cooperation during talks between the Gulf state’s minister of state for defence affairs and South Korea’s defence minister Shin Won-sik.
Under the MOU, both sides agreed to hold regular defence ministerial talks and boost cooperation in various defence sectors.
The Korean defence minister’s visit also came after President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Qatar in October. The Korean president had met Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the time of his visit, which came after a stopover in Saudi Arabia.
At the time, several memoranda of understanding and agreements were signed.
The memoranda encompassed cooperation in the field of national geospatial information, cooperation in the fields of smart construction, building technology, infrastructure and building development, and smart agriculture.
Qatar and South Korea also signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of small and medium-sized enterprises and startups. This was in addition to a memorandum of understanding on establishing a framework for promoting trade and investment.
Defence is among the key pillars of Doha and Seoul’s relations, which were established in 1974.
Earlier this month, the Chief of Staff of the Qatar Armed Forces visited the factory of the fifth-generation fighter (KF-21) in South Korea. He also visited a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit (M-SAM).
During the same visit, Al Nabit met Korea’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Kim Myung-soo as well as a number of CEO’s of Korean defence industry companies where they discussed “topics of common interest”.
South Korea was also among the countries that deployed security personnel to Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup to help maintain the safety and security of the major sporting event.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) report in 2023, Qatar is the Gulf region’s second top military spender after Saudi Arabia. South Korea is also among the top 10 arm exporters globally.
Apart from the defence relations, energy is a key element in Qatar and South Korea’s ties.
South Korea is among the Asian countries that hold long-term fixed contracts for liquified natural gas (LNG) with Qatar. The Gulf state is among the top three LNG exporters alongside Australia and the United States.
Last September, South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a $3.9bn ship-building contract with QatarEnergy to build 17 LNG carriers.
The deal marked the beginning of the second phase of the Qatari state-owned company’s LNG ship acquisition programme, the largest of its kind in the industry’s history. The project is designed to massively ramp up Qatar’s LNG production.
