South Korea Aims to Cut Reliance on
Middle East Crude Imports to 50%

Seoul, 23 Sep 2026 (ONA) — South
Korea intends to reduce its reliance on crude oil from the Middle East to 50
percent by 2035, as part of the efforts of Asia’s fourth-largest economy to
diversify its energy sources following the disruptions caused by the war in the
Middle East.

In its ten-year plan for natural
resource security, the South Korean Ministry of Industry said that South Korea
needs a “radical transformation” in supply chains, citing the lessons
drawn from the war on Iran, which disrupted global energy flows.

South Korea relies heavily on oil
imports, and the Ministry said it obtained 70 percent of its supplies from the
Middle East in 2025. The Ministry noted that South Korea is also seeking to
secure additional quantities of condensates, an ultra-light oil often used in
the production of naphtha.

South Korea has suffered from a
shortage of naphtha, the primary feedstock for the petrochemicals industry,
since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East. As for natural gas, the
government aims to reduce its reliance on imports from the Middle East to less
than 30 percent by 2035, after lowering it to 20 percent in 2025.

— Ends/Khalid