Qatar and Korea’s bilateral relations have remained solid for decades in various fields of co-operation, especially in the energy and construction sector, South Korean ambassador Kim Chang-mo has said.

Speaking at the Korean National Day reception on Thursday, the envoy noted that Qatar continues to supply 11.5mn tonnes of natural gas to South Korea, which is one third of its annual LNG consumption. 
“It marks Korea as Qatar’s biggest LNG export destination. Such co-operation will continue to be strong as the LNG demand in Korea is expected to grow by 0.8% every year until 2031 due to shift in Korea’s energy policy,” Chang-mo said. 
The event was attended by HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Secretary General Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi, MoFA’s chief of protocol Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, Diplomatic Corps Dean, ambassador Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, and other diplomats and guests.
In the construction sector, Chang-mo said some 15 Korean companies are involved in building various infrastructure projects in the Doha Metro, Lusail Expressway and Umm Haul power and desalination plant.
The envoy also cited several developments, which took place this year, aimed at further strengthening the relations between the two countries.
In August, he said Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during his Seoul visit. 
“During the meeting, two ministers had a productive dialogue on deepening the bilateral relationship and reaffirmed that the two countries are an essential partner for each other,” Chang-mo added.
In October, he said Korea’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Hyunmee Kim visited Qatar and met Qatar’s Transport and Communications Minister HE Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti. 
On Thursday (November 1), the 4th Joint Working Level Task Force for diversifying and expanding trade and co-operation between the two countries was held in Korea, according to the envoy.
“Through these channels of dialogues and meetings, we have been working to diversify and promote bilateral co-operation beyond the long-established and valuable energy and construction areas,” he said, hoping that constructive relationship will develop in many other sectors such as healthcare and education. 
In the field of sports, Chang-mo stressed that Korea wants to share its experiences with Qatar not only on building facilities and organising events but particularly about establishing regional peace and harmony through sports.
“This year, we have witnessed the power of sports. International sporting events delivered a clear message of peace and harmony. North Korea’s participation in Pyeongchang Winter Olympics provided a decisive momentum in building peace in the Korean peninsula,” he pointed out.
At the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, the envoy recounted that two Koreas formed unified teams in some sports, noting that the unified Korean women's dragon boating team won the gold medal – the first to win the top prize at a multi-sport competition.
“As the host nation of world’s major sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Cup, Korea will be a good partner to Qatar in hosting the World Championship next year and the World Cup in 2022. We stand ready to co-operate,” Chang-mo said.