President Lee Jae-myung sent a message of condolence today (July 14) following the news of the death of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar, and dispatched Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik as a special envoy to offer condolences.
According to the Blue House, Chief of Staff Kang is scheduled to depart for Qatar this afternoon to convey President Lee's condolences as a special envoy and return the day after tomorrow.
The dispatch of Chief of Staff Kang as a special envoy was arranged at the request of the Qatari side.
While there have been precedents where cabinet members were dispatched as special envoys upon the death of monarchs or emirs of Middle Eastern Gulf states, it was reported that the Qatari side specifically requested Chief of Staff Kang's visit during the consultation process.
As Chief of Staff Kang has visited the Middle East multiple times in his capacity as President Lee's special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, attention is also focused on whether high-level discussions regarding energy supply between the two countries will take place during this visit.
(Photo: Yonhap News)