President Lee Jae Myung held a phone call with Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at the Saudi side's request, the presidential office said on Oct. 29. / Courtesy of the Presidential Office

President Lee Jae Myung spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Oct. 29 and expressed gratitude for Saudi Arabia's cooperation in prioritizing crude oil supplies to South Korea despite the ongoing war.

In a written briefing that day, presidential chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said, "President Lee held a phone call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the request of the Saudi side."

According to the presidential office, Lee thanked Saudi Arabia for giving South Korea top priority in crude oil supplies despite the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Lee also expressed deep sympathy over damage to civilian and economic facilities and the loss of life in Saudi Arabia caused by the war, reaffirming the South Korean government's strong solidarity with the country.

He also expressed hope that the instability in the Middle East would end as soon as possible and that peace and stability would be restored to the region.

The two leaders agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation despite the grave security situation and further develop bilateral relations.

In particular, they agreed to strengthen mutually beneficial and substantive cooperation across various fields based on their "future-oriented strategic partnership."

The two leaders also agreed to meet at a mutually convenient time in the future to hold more in-depth discussions on ways to advance bilateral relations.

                                                                                                         Park Young-hoon