Relationship dossier
Qatar
South Korea
Relationship assessment
Qatar and South Korea maintain a strategic partnership focused on energy, investment and defense.
Qatar toward South Korea
+45Qatar has supported long-term energy cooperation with South Korea through liquefied natural gas supply arrangements involving South Korea’s state-owned KOGAS. In 2023, Qatar elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and announced further cooperation agreements with South Korea.
South Korea toward Qatar
+45South Korea elevated bilateral ties with Qatar to a strategic partnership in 2023 and announced cooperation agreements covering areas including defense, investment and energy. South Korea’s state-owned KOGAS has also maintained long-term LNG supply arrangements with Qatar.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship combines durable energy ties with a 2023 strategic partnership and additional announced cooperation in investment and defense. These arrangements indicate sustained institutional and economic engagement, although the implementation and depth of newer commitments are not clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Qatar and South Korea have built a substantive cooperative relationship centered on energy, investment and defense. In 2023, the two governments elevated ties to a strategic partnership and announced cooperation agreements. Long-term liquefied natural gas arrangements with South Korea’s state-owned KOGAS add a durable economic dimension. The scope and implementation of the newer agreements remain unclear.
Key developments
Qatar and South Korea elevated bilateral relations to a strategic partnership and announced cooperation agreements during the Emir of Qatar’s visit to South Korea.
Qatar and South Korea agreed on long-term LNG supply arrangements involving South Korea’s state-owned KOGAS.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of agreements announced with the 2023 strategic partnership are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing government-to-government defense cooperation is uncertain.