Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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한국, 9월 중앙아시아 5개국과 첫 정상회의… 의미와 과제는

Korea is set to bring the leaders of five Central Asian nations together in Seoul in two weeks' time, for their first summit as a group.
With the region’s strategic value rising amid supply-chain uncertainty and competition over critical minerals, our foreign affairs correspondent examines what is at stake.
Hi Sooyoung, it's great to have you in-studio.
Preparations are under way this month for the first Korea–Central Asia Summit.
When will it take place, and why is it significant?

Sure, this first-ever Korea-Central Asia Summit will be an unprecedented event, coming at an interesting time of geopolitical shifts and complications,
when President Lee Jae Myung hosts the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Seoul on September 16th.
It will be the first leaders’ meeting in the six-nation format.

“Central Asia is going through the huge transformation and all of the countries in the region, they are opening up. There is a big reforms are going on and our economy is developing; the education, the infrastructure, healthcare sectors are developing very much. And in this very moment, in this process of transformation, we need a very strong and reliable partners and South Korea is one of those partners.”

“Central Asian countries have also been diversifying their external cooperation by regularizing regional summit since 2018 and expanding summit diplomacy with the major nations such as the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and the European Union.”

What outcomes are now being prepared?

We can expect the summit to set out a broad framework for future cooperation in strategic sectors.
At the final senior officials’ meeting in Astana in late July, the six sides negotiated the remaining issues in a proposed joint statement, provisionally titled the Seoul Declaration.
Ambassador Baik Joo-hyeon expects them to try and institutionalize cooperation.

“It also seeks to expand trade investment by strengthening cooperation in supply chains, customs and regulations and to promote mutually beneficial practical cooperation in the fields of energy, critical minerals and infrastructure.”

The Industry Ministry said that talks so far have covered critical-mineral supply chains and a proposal for a regular C5-plus-Korea industry ministers’ meeting.
A business summit will be held alongside the leaders’ meeting.

Why is Central Asia important to Korea strategically and economically?

Central Asian countries offer a combination of three factors Korea needs: mineral resources for advanced industries, access to routes across Eurasia and young, expanding markets.
UN figures put the region’s population at more than 84 million in 2025, up from 56.2 million in 2000.
In Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, almost half the population is under 25.

“South Korean technology innovation, Uzbekistan, the young generation, capable generation, the growing population as well as the natural resources can complement each other and fulfill the needs of each other. And our goal is to move beyond the traditional concept of investment. We want to build a very unique partnership which will make it possible to develop, to produce and export together.”

You travelled to three Central Asian countries when plans for this summit were first announced.
What did you observe about Korea’s relationship with the region?

When I travelled to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in June 2024, what struck me was the depth of trust and familiarity between Korea and the region.
That has historic roots in the region’s ethnic Korean communities.
Uzbekistan alone is home to more than 180-thousand ethnic Koreans.
These ties are still developing in both directions, among young people through K-pop and cultural content as well as their studies.
Uzbek Ambassador Alisher Abdusalomov himself has studied in Korea.
In Tashkent, two young girls asked whether I was Korean, then came over and hugged me in a supermarket.
It showed that the relationship extends well beyond policy a warm and deeply personal connection.

I see. Well, we look forward to covering this first-ever summit.
Thank you for your preview today, Sooyoung.

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2026-09-01, 20:00 (KST)