Korea welcomes Central Asia's leaders

Korea welcomed the leaders of Central Asia's five countries for the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit, held in Seoul on Wednesday. This marks the first time the summit has been held at the highest level, elevating their partnership that began with diplomatic ties established in 1992. The summit, themed "Walking Together Toward the Future: Partnership for Trust and Prosperity," seeks to outline a shared future in trade, supply chains, digital innovation, and people-to-people exchanges, building upon three decades of cooperation.

Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest economy and major energy producer with Astana as its capital and a population of 20.59 million (including 122,554 ethnic Koreans), President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, participated in the summit. The trade volume between Kazakhstan and Korea is estimated at $4.36 billion in 2025, with exports to Kazakhstan amounting to $3 billion and imports from Kazakhstan being $1.36 billion.

Kyrgyzstan, with its mountainous terrain and significant water resources and gold production, has a capital of Bishkek and a population of 7.37 million (including 18,434 ethnic Koreans). The country's President, Sadyr Japarov, also attended the summit.