Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik briefs reporters at Cheong Wa Dae’s press center on July 6 on the outcome of a public-private review meeting on the government’s mega projects held earlier in the day. (Yonhap) President Lee Jae Myung has dispatched his chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, to Qatar as a special envoy to convey condolences over the death of former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.Kang is set to depart Seoul in the early hours of Wednesday and is scheduled to return on Thursday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. During the visit, he is expected to deliver Lee's message of condolence to Qatar's leadership and the bereaved royal family.The presidential office in Seoul explained that Kang's trip was arranged at the request of the Qatari government, which specifically asked for the presidential chief of staff to represent Lee as a condolence envoy.The two sides had initially discussed dispatching a Cabinet minister, in line with past practice under which South Korea has sent ministers or lawmakers as special envoys following the deaths of monarchs and rulers in Gulf states.During consultations, however, Qatar requested that Kang lead the delegation, according to Cheong Wa Dae.Kang previously traveled to the Middle East as Lee's special envoy for strategic and economic cooperation. In April, he visited Qatar and met with Emir Tamim, where the two sides discussed energy cooperation, including liquefied natural gas supplies, as well as broader economic ties.According to Cheong Wa Dae, Lee sent a message of condolence following the death of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who ruled Qatar from 1995 until handing power to his son, the current Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in 2013. Widely regarded as the founding father of modern Qatar, Sheikh Hamad died Sunday at the age of 74.