According to the presidential office, Kang departed for Doha Tuesday to personally deliver Lee's condolences on behalf of the South Korean government and is scheduled to return on Thursday.
Seoul typically sends cabinet ministers or other senior officials as special envoys to the funerals of Gulf monarchs, but Qatar reportedly specifically requested for Kang who had earlier visited the country.
The visit is also expected to provide an opportunity for high-level discussions on bilateral cooperation, including energy security, given Kang's longstanding role in economic diplomacy with the Gulf region.
In April, Kang visited Qatar in his capacity as the president's special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, where he met with the current emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and discussed liquefied natural gas supplies and broader economic cooperation.
Sheikh Hamad, who ruled Qatar from 1995 until voluntarily abdicating in favor of his son in 2013, died Sunday at the age of 74.
Widely regarded as the architect of modern Qatar, he transformed the small Gulf state into one of the world's leading exporters of liquefied natural gas while vastly expanding its diplomatic, financial and media influence.
Under his leadership, Qatar launched the Al Jazeera satellite news network, developed one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds and emerged as a key diplomatic mediator in regional and international conflicts. The country's economic rise was fueled by a liquefied natural gas boom that made Qatar the world's largest LNG exporter by the late 2000s.
His decision in 2013 to voluntarily hand power to his son, Sheikh Tamim, was unprecedented in the Gulf, where leadership transitions have traditionally followed the death or overthrow of a ruler.
Qatar declared four days of national mourning following Sheikh Hamad's death, with flags lowered to half-staff and government offices temporarily closed.
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