Yoon and Mrs. Kim Tour Turk, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan... "Establishing the Korea-Central Asia Summit"

Korea-Central Asia 'K Silk Road' Initiative Announced
Discussion on Critical Mineral Cooperation, Economic Delegation Accompanies
Mrs. Kim Accompanies... "Attending Schedule as a Couple"

Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, is briefing on President Yoon Suk-yeol's tour of three Central Asian countries (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan) at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul on the 7th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol will make a state visit to three Central Asian countries?Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan?from the 10th to the 15th of this month.

The government plans to announce the first-ever Central Asia diplomatic strategy, the Korea-Central Asia 'K-Silk Road' cooperation initiative, and establish a Korea-Central Asia Five-Country Summit during this tour.

Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the afternoon of the 7th to announce President Yoon’s itinerary. First Lady Kim Keon-hee will accompany the president. The presidential couple will visit Turkmenistan from the 10th to the 11th, Kazakhstan from the 11th to the 13th, and Uzbekistan from the 13th to the 15th.

In Turkmenistan, President Yoon will hold a summit with President Serdar Berdimuhamedow to discuss ways to expand Korea-Turkmenistan cooperation. In Kazakhstan, he will meet with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to discuss strengthening the strategic partnership. In Uzbekistan, the schedule includes a summit meeting and a visit to a startup promotion center.

Deputy Director Kim explained the background of the visit, saying, "Central Asia, once the heart of the ancient Silk Road, is a strategic hub connecting Europe and Asia. Its strategic importance is growing amid the global complex crises such as the Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East."

He added, "Recently, Central Asia has emerged as a foothold for multinational companies aiming to enter the Commonwealth of Independent States region and Europe, and it is also gaining attention as a new logistics hub."

Economic Delegation Accompanies... Focused Discussions on Critical Mineral Cooperation

Business forums involving entrepreneurs from both countries will be held in all three countries.

Deputy Director Kim said, "Our companies began actively entering Central Asia in the 1990s and have built achievements in various sectors such as energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and finance. This visit targets three countries among the five Central Asian nations that have great potential in terms of economy and population, maintain close relations with us, and where our companies are actively engaged."

An economic delegation consisting of 86 companies and associations will also accompany the visit.

President Yoon plans to strengthen cooperation on critical mineral supply chains with resource-rich Central Asian countries during this visit. Central Asia, with a population of 80 million, holds high market value and is rich in key minerals such as crude oil and gas, making it a promising partner for Korea’s advanced industries.

Park Chun-seop, the Chief Economic Secretary at the Presidential Office, said at the briefing, "Kazakhstan ranks 12th in the world for crude oil reserves and is the largest oil-producing country in Central Asia. It is rich in mineral resources, with most elements from the periodic table present. Cooperation on critical mineral supply chains will be the top agenda."

He continued, "Uzbekistan is also rich in mineral resources such as uranium and tungsten, making critical mineral supply chain cooperation a key topic. During this visit, we plan to support corporate contract activities focusing on transportation, energy, and infrastructure, and expand cooperation into sectors like automotive, chemicals, and bio."

Park Chun-seop, Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs to the President, is briefing on President Yoon Suk-yeol's tour of three Central Asian countries (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan) at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the 7th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Korea-Central Asia 'K-Silk Road' Initiative

In particular, the government has decided to promote the 'Korea-Central Asia K-Silk Road' as a diplomatic strategy to strengthen cooperation with Central Asia.

Deputy Director Kim said, "This initiative is the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s third regional strategy, following the Indo-Pacific strategy and the Korea-ASEAN solidarity initiative. It contains a blueprint to elevate cooperation with the Central Asian region, which connects Asia and Europe, to the next level."

The 'K-Silk Road' aims to pursue a free international society based on universal values, promote a rules-based international order contributing to regional peace, and seek shared prosperity by jointly addressing global challenges.

To this end, the Presidential Office has presented 'Accompaniment, Integration, and Creation' as the three fundamental principles of cooperation. The plan is to create a new cooperation model by harmoniously integrating each other’s capabilities and strengths on a path of accompaniment based on solid trust and bonds, linking Korea’s innovation capacity with Central Asia’s development potential.

Additionally, the government announced plans to establish a Korea-Central Asia Five-Country Summit and hold the first meeting in Korea next year.

Deputy Director Kim emphasized, "The government will prepare detailed implementation plans based on this initiative and make diplomatic efforts to effectively carry them out. The Central Asia cooperation initiative will serve as a milestone that elevates Korea-Central Asia relations to a new level."

Meanwhile, First Lady Kim Keon-hee will also accompany President Yoon on this visit.

A Presidential Office official stated, "First Lady Kim will attend social dinners and official banquet events alongside the president as part of the couple’s joint schedule. Additional side events are still under review."

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