President Moon: "Kazakh Rare Earths Can Create Synergy Through Bilateral Cooperation"

Indicates Expansion of Cooperation in Electric Vehicle Battery Sector
President Tokayev Mentions Ansan and Kim Yeon-kyung from Tokyo Olympics

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 17th, President Moon Jae-in held a summit at the Blue House with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, who was on a state visit to South Korea, expressing expectations that "synergistic effects can be achieved through bilateral cooperation" regarding Kazakhstan's rare earth elements.

The two leaders built trust through discussions not only on economic cooperation across various sectors but also on the achievements of the Tokyo Olympics.

According to the Blue House, during the summit with President Tokayev, President Moon stated, "Rare earth elements and other rare minerals are essential in fields such as batteries."

When President Tokayev requested, "Kazakhstan possesses large reserves of rare earth elements. We hope for the participation of Korean companies in areas such as geological exploration between the two countries," President Moon responded positively.

Additionally, President Tokayev mentioned the rapid increase in sales of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in Kazakhstan and expressed interest by saying, "We are very interested in electric vehicle assembly, electric vehicle infrastructure development, and electric vehicle battery production." President Moon replied, "I am pleased that the Almaty automobile assembly plant was completed at the end of last year and has started vehicle production. I hope cooperation will expand to electric vehicles, their infrastructure, and batteries."

When President Tokayev said, "Kazakhstan is very interested in IT and digital fields, including e-government, electronic payment systems, and fintech, and we hope to make extensive use of the Astana International Financial Centre," President Moon evaluated that IT cooperation, such as big data analysis, is progressing well based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) cooperation signed in April 2019, and responded, "I hope more cooperative projects will be discovered."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The two leaders also discussed cooperation in the health sector. When President Tokayev said, "Kazakhstan wants to learn from South Korea's great achievements in the health sector," President Moon said, "I hope the two countries will continue to cooperate closely, including vaccine development, to effectively prevent, manage, and respond to infectious diseases in the future."

President Moon and President Tokayev agreed to cooperate with the international community regarding the recent situation in Afghanistan and decided to continue cooperation in agriculture, including smart farm greenhouses, defense industry, forestry, water industry, space, education, transportation and infrastructure construction sectors, as well as in human and cultural exchanges.

President Moon explained the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula and the South Korean government's peace process, and President Tokayev reaffirmed Kazakhstan government's unwavering support.

Meanwhile, after the joint press announcement, the two leaders rode in a hydrogen car to Sangchunjae. When President Moon said, "I often use hydrogen cars both when moving within the premises and for external schedules," President Tokayev said, "I am very interested in South Korea's hydrogen car technology."

The two leaders continued their conversation at Sangchunjae, including topics related to the Tokyo Olympics. President Tokayev praised, "I was amazed every time South Korea's Ansan scored a perfect 10," calling her an excellent athlete, and mentioned, "I am personally a fan of Kim Yeon-kyung, the world's best attacker."

President Moon said, "Kazakhstan has shown outstanding performance in traditional sports such as wrestling, weightlifting, and boxing," and mentioned, "The match of the ethnic Korean weightlifter Son Igor was particularly impressive."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.