Kuwait city: A special envoy of South Korea's foreign minister has visited Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq and met with officials to discuss cooperation in energy, infrastructure, and other sectors amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Moon Byung-jun, former charge d'affaires at the South Korean Embassy in Saudi Arabia, visited the three Middle Eastern countries as a special envoy of Foreign Minister Cho Hyun from May 1-8 and met with senior officials from their foreign and energy authorities, according to the ministry.

According to Yonhap News Agency, in Kuwait, Moon delivered Cho's personal letter to Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Hamad Al-Mashaan. Cho conveyed South Korea's deep sympathy over the damage Kuwait suffered from the war and called for stronger cooperation to overcome the crisis. Moon also met with Kuwait's Oil Minister Tareq Al-Roumi, who also serves as chairman of the board of Kuwait Petroleum Corp. (KPC), and requested support for South Korean companies seeking to participate in reconstruction projects for damaged energy facilities and infrastructure, as well as orders for crude oil and LPG carriers.

In Bahrain, Moon met with Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties as the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. The envoy also held talks with Bahrain's oil and industry ministers and called for expanding cooperation in such fields as nuclear energy and artificial intelligence (AI).

In Iran, the final leg of his trip, Moon met with Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani Al-Sawad and other senior officials and discussed ways to ensure stable supplies of crude oil and other energy resources after the war. "The visit served as a chance to proactively discuss future-oriented cooperation with Middle East partners in various sectors for the post-war period," the ministry said in a release.

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has disrupted global supply chains and rattled markets.