South Korean ambassador to Qatar Lee Joon-Ho has praised the distinguished friendly relations between Qatar and Korea and pledged to further enhance these in all fields. 
In an exclusive interview on the occasion of his country’s national day, the ambassador talks about the various aspects of the close partnership. Excerpts:


What are the latest developments in the realm of bilateral relations related to economy, investment, environment, culture, education and diplomatic ties?
Korea and Qatar have cultivated their close and strong relationship since diplomatic ties were established in 1974. Now, Korea is one of the biggest trading partners of Qatar. Last year, the trade volume between the two countries reached $7.9bn in spite of Covid-19. This year, Korea-Qatar bilateral trade surpassed $8.1bn by the end of September — an increase of 30% year-on-year.
Last July, Korea signed a 20-year LNG supply agreement with Qatar. Qatar being the world’s largest exporter of LNG and Korea being the world’s third-largest importer, our bilateral co-operation in the LNG sector is an indispensable pillar of our friendly relationship. On November 7, QatarEnergy placed the first batch of LNG shipbuilding orders with Korean companies based on the reservation of shipyard agreements signed last year. We hope our co-operation will continue regarding the programme of expanding Qatar’s LNG fleets. Last month, Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy visited Doha and had very constructive meetings with Qatar’s HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry and HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs. Accordingly, the two countries agreed to further strengthen co-operation in energy transition and new industries. 
The two countries’ co-operation is not limited to the economic field. Korea and Qatar look in the same direction and join hands in tackling the future challenges. The two countries have increased their co-operation on environment and climate change. Last month, Qatar’s Minister for Municipality signed an MoU with the Global Green Growth Institute headquartered in Seoul to boost co-operation on climate change. Recently, Korea and Qatar signed an MoU on the hydrogen industry to broaden co-operation into the cleaner energy.


How do you view the development of the role Qatar plays regionally and internationally?
The year 2021 will be remembered as the year that ushered in Qatar’s emergence as a diplomatic hub. Qatar successfully overcame the blockade through Al-Ula Declaration. Now, it is making significant progress in strengthening diplomatic ties with the neighbouring countries. Regarding Afghanistan, Qatar is playing a crucial role in international diplomacy. Many countries including Korea relocated their Kabul missions to Doha to handle Afghanistan matters in a more effective way.
For a long time, Qatar has carried out a balanced and neutral foreign policy without making any country adversary. Also, Qatar has spared no effort to provide humanitarian assistance to those countries in need and continued playing a vigorous mediator role in settling international disputes. As a country dedicated to bringing lasting peace on the Korean peninsula through dialogue and exchanges, Korea fully appreciates the importance of Qatari government’s mediation efforts in bringing peace to the conflict-ridden areas of the world.
As an initiative to share our two countries’ view on enhancing stability and security in the regions, the two governments held the first Korea-Qatar Policy Consultation Meeting co-chaired by Vice Foreign Minister of Korea and State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar. We sincerely hope our relations further develop in the future. 


Can you cite the latest statistics pertaining to Qatari tourism and investments in Korea and the same for the Koreans in Qatar?
Covid-19 has impacted all segments of our lives — tourism in particular. The number of tourists between the two countries has significantly reduced due to the Covid-19 restrictions. However, there are many optimistic factors, which will increase tourism between the two countries. First, the two countries’ Covid-19 situations are speedily improving. With about 80% of population fully vaccinated, both countries are easing their Covid-19 restrictions and preparing for the post-pandemic world. Second, many Koreans have greater interest in Qatar as the 2022 World FIFA Cup approaches and we expect big number of Koreans to visit Qatar during the event. 
Our two governments are in the final phase of concluding the Agreement on the Mutual Waiver of Entry Visa Requirements, which aims to ensure visa-free entry and short stay up to 90 days in the each other’s country. With the new agreements, I believe people-to-people exchange between our two countries will grow considerably as the Covid-19 situation improves.
Many Korean companies are actively operating here in Qatar and greatly contributing to the development of Qatar’s economy through their investments. As we expand our economic co-operation into relatively new areas beyond energy and construction, Korean investments in Qatar can diversify into various areas such as smart city, ICT, healthcare, agriculture and climate change. 
Also, Qatari investors can find attractive investment opportunities in areas related to green energy and ICT in Korea. The Korean government has recently announced Korean New Deal, which aims to promote digital innovation and accelerate transition towards low-carbon economy. With new economic co-operation opportunities, I hope to see more Qatari investments in Korea and vice versa in the near future. And I also expect that the recently concluded MoU between the Korean Economic Zone Planning Office and Qatar Free Zone will lay the foundations in which our two countries can closely co-operate to attract more investments.


What are the potential areas to expand the Qatari-Korean co-operation?
In recent years, both countries have been trying to expand their co-operation in various fields beyond the traditional energy and construction. Following the high-level exchanges between the leaders of our two countries in 2019, 15 MoUs, covering various areas of co-operation including security, health and medical services, smart technology, education and tourism, have been concluded so far. I believe bigger co-operation opportunities are lying ahead between our two countries. For example, new co-operation opportunities can be found in the fields of EduTech and e-learning that combines different IT technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality. This online education technology is especially in high demand post-Covid era. I also find that our two countries share a huge potential for medical co-operation as Korea boasts the world’s best quality of medical services and many Qataris visit Korea for treatment. 
Cultural and people-to-people exchanges are another area we can tap to promote bilateral relations. Notably, there has been an increasing interest in Qatar as the 2022 World FIFA Cup approaches. I also find that there are devoted Korean culture fans that enjoy the music of Korean bands such as BTS or Korean dramas like Squid Game. I hope that growing curiosity towards each other among the younger generation of our two countries will lead to greater exchanges and creative collaboration in various fields. Broadening horizons of economic co-operation will further enhance our already strong bilateral economic relations and help Qatar achieve its National Vision 2030.
Further, many Koreans  have made significant contribution to the economic growth of Qatar. Korean companies have actively participated in major infrastructure projects such as North Field expansion, Doha Metro and Lusail expressway and landmarks such as Qatar National Museum, contributing to the economic development of both countries. I hope you remember there are about 2,000 Koreans in Qatar who are working as cabin crew or pilots of Qatar Airways, managers and experts for Qatari government entities, or businessmen running their own business such as Korean restaurants and Korean grocery stores. They represent how closely related we are. Now, Korea and Qatar are facing many common challenges like changing disease patterns, climate change, green growth and rising energy prices to name a few. We are prepared to create bigger vestiges together in our future path. We will be with you, Qatar.


On the occasion of the Korean National Day celebrations, what are the events and activities that the embassy is planning to mark the occasion and further introduce the Korean culture to the people in Qatar?
The Korean embassy will hold an in-person national day reception on Thursday (November 11) with a variety of activities to introduce Korean cuisine, music and cultural traditions. I really appreciate the Qatari government for its world’s best handling of Covid-19 which return our lives back to normal and make this event possible. 
As the new coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions are being eased, we are planning diverse cultural projects, which will provide platforms for both countries’ people to better understand each other and build mutual friendships. 
Last month, we had a successful art show at the Cultural Village Foundation Katara, inviting famous Korean Taekwondo team and dance group. The Taekwondo Championship will be held on November 19 in Doha, co-hosted by the Korean embassy and the Qatar Taekwondo Federation. We are in close co-operation with Katara to bring Korean musicians during the 2022 World Cup games. Besides, we are also working with the Ministry of Culture of Qatar to translate some Korean literature into Arabic.