Lee’s chief of staff heads to Kazakhstan, Oman, Saudi for oil, naphtha supplies

President Lee Jae Myung’s chief of staff is set to visit Kazakhstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia to lock in additional crude oil and naphtha supplies, as South Korea braces for a prolonged energy shock from the Middle East war. Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said Tuesday that “securing alternative supply lines remains an urgent task until the Middle East situation is fully resolved,” during a news conference held Tuesday morning ahead of his departure from Seoul later in the day.