▲ President Lee Jae Myung speaks by phone with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 20, 2026, in this photo provided by his office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Lee-Qatar-phone talks

Lee, Qatari emir discuss economic cooperation in phone talks

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung spoke with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani by phone Tuesday and expressed hope to expand bilateral economic cooperation in defense, energy and infrastructure, Cheong Wa Dae said.

In their second phone talks since the first conversation last July, Lee voiced hope that South Korea and Qatar would broaden the scope of cooperation across various fields, including security, the defense industry, energy and infrastructure, presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon said in a written briefing.

Emir Tamim said South Korea has been contributing to Qatar's national development under the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership, while Lee asked for continued support from the Qatari government for the activities of Korean companies operating in the Middle Eastern nation, according to Kim.

The two leaders agreed to meet in person in the near future to hold in-depth discussions on further strengthening bilateral relations, the spokesperson added.

South Korea and Qatar established diplomatic relations in 1974 and upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2023. Qatar is South Korea's single largest supplier of liquefied natural gas.

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