President Lee: "Middle East Crisis a Major Obstacle to Energy Transition"

Meeting with Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, on September 17
"We Are Transforming the System to Focus on Renewable Energy"

On the 17th, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "It seems that the recent energy crisis caused by the Middle East crisis is becoming a significant obstacle to the energy transition."

During a meeting with International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol at the Blue House that afternoon, President Lee said, "We are also extensively restructuring our energy system to focus on renewable energy," making the remarks above.

President Lee also said, "This is a critical juncture for the Republic of Korea, and there is likely a heightened sense of crisis regarding energy across the world. I ask for your valuable perspectives regarding the response methods and how situations might unfold going forward," adding, "Korea will spare no effort in international cooperation in accordance with the IEA's strategic directives."

President Lee Jae-myung is listening to the remarks of IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol during a meeting held at the Blue House on the 17th. 2026.9.17 Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap News

Executive Director Birol responded by saying, "I am very pleased to see that the Korean government has placed electrification at the center of its energy policy," and assessed Korea as an exemplary case. He added, "If Korea achieves its electrification targets, it will not only benefit the country's sovereignty and economy but will also contribute to emissions reduction efforts to address the climate crisis."

This meeting was organized following President Lee's pledge last June that "the IEA can play a role in enhancing the resilience of energy supply chains in Asia, and Korea will help enable this." At that time, President Lee attended the expanded summit of the G7 held in Évian-les-Bains, France, and emphasized that "the recent Middle East crisis has confirmed that compared to other regions, the Asia-Pacific region's energy supply chains are especially vulnerable," expressing his intent to cooperate with the IEA.

The IEA is an organization under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), established in 1973 to promote energy security cooperation among member countries in response to the oil shock. Executive Director Birol has played a leading role in overcoming the global energy crisis, including orchestrating the coordinated release of 400 million barrels of oil stockpiles from IEA member countries in response to the Middle East war.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.