Presidential chief of staff visits Saudi Arabia ahead of Lee's UAE visit

Kang Hoon-sik, left, the presidential chief of staff, delivers President Lee Jae Myung's personal letter to Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud during his visit to Saudi Arabia in this photo posted on his X account on Monday.

ABU DHABI — A top aide to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Monday that he visited Saudi Arabia as a special envoy on strategic economic cooperation over the weekend and delivered Lee's personal letter expressing hope to forge closer ties with the Middle Eastern nation.

In a social media post, Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, said that he traveled to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, as the country was not included in Lee's ongoing Middle East swing. Kang is currently accompanying Lee in Abu Dhabi on the president's state visit to the United Arab Emirates.

"Although President Lee was unable to visit Saudi Arabia during this trip due to scheduling issues, he conveyed his intention to arrange a future visit to discuss ways to strengthen economic and security cooperation between the two countries," Kang wrote on X.

Kang said he delivered Lee's letter to Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and spoke by phone with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, who is currently traveling.

Lee arrived in Abu Dhabi earlier in the day, marking his first trip to the Middle East since taking office in June.