South Korea envoy to visit Kazakhstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia to secure oil supplies

South Korean presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said on Tuesday (April 7) he would travel to Kazakhstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia to secure supplies of crude oil and naphtha amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Kang would depart later on Tuesday as President Lee Jae Myung's special envoy to hold talks with governments, energy firms and ship operators to ensure cargoes reach domestic ports and to support stable supplies of key goods, including medical products, he said.

South Korea urgently needed to diversify supply lines as the country relied on the Hormuz route for about 61% of its crude oil and 54% of its naphtha imports, he told a news briefing at the presidential Blue House.

Kang said shipments of crude oil and naphtha secured last month from the United Arab Emirates under a 24-million‑barrel supply deal had already started arriving at South Korean ports.

-Jungmin Ryu, Minwoo Park/Reuters