Korea, Central Asia seek new path beyond Silk Road, deepen ties in AI, critical minerals: FM

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has called for enhanced cooperation between Korea and Central Asia, envisioning a robust partnership in strategic resources, supply chains, artificial intelligence (AI) and other forward-looking sectors. Cho's proposal comes ahead of the inaugural Korea-Central Asia summit, which will convene on Wednesday.

The summit will bring together leaders from Korea and the five Central Asian nations — Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan — to explore avenues for bolstering their partnership and promoting mutual prosperity. The summit marks a significant milestone, as it is the first meeting of its kind between the two regions.

Cho's remarks underscore the importance of the accumulated trust and shared efforts over the past three decades, which have laid a solid foundation for the future. Korea established diplomatic ties with the Central Asian countries in 1992 and launched the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in 2007, well before major powers such as the United States, China, and the European Union increased their regional engagement.