Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung met with International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol on Thursday to discuss strategies for addressing the ongoing global energy crisis.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting took place at Cheong Wa Dae, where President Lee highlighted the challenges South Korea faces in transitioning to renewable energy sources, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. He requested Birol's insights on managing the crisis and potential developments, emphasizing South Korea's commitment to collaborating with the IEA's strategies.

Birol identified electrification, the transition from fossil fuels to electric power, as a crucial policy for energy security. He commended South Korea's progress toward electrification, noting that such initiatives would bolster the country's sovereignty and economy while aiding climate change mitigation efforts.

The meeting followed President Lee's proposal at the Group of Seven summit in June to explore cooperative measures to enhance the resilience of the Asia-Pacific region's energy supply chain, as reported by the presidential office. Birol has been instrumental in mitigating the global energy crisis, notably coordinating the release of 400 million barrels of oil from IEA member countries' emergency reserves in response to the Middle East conflict in March.