PM discusses economic cooperation with Kyrgyz president

On September 17, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook met with Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov to explore ways to strengthen economic ties between their nations. Japarov was in Seoul for the launch of the South Korea-Central Asia Summit, which aimed to deepen economic partnerships with five Central Asian countries - Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.

During their meeting, Prime Minister Han expressed her enthusiasm for mutually beneficial cooperation, highlighting Kyrgyzstan's abundant mineral resources and South Korea's cutting-edge technology. She also congratulated Japarov on Kyrgyzstan's recent election to the U.N. Security Council as a non-permanent member.

President Japarov shared that Kyrgyzstan's economy has been experiencing rapid growth, with an annual increase of at least 9 percent over the past five years and a staggering 12 percent in the first half of 2023 alone. He emphasized the need for foreign investment, advanced technologies, and manufacturing infrastructure to sustain this growth.

Japarov expressed his country's keen interest in expanding industrial cooperation with South Korea, with a particular focus on building joint production facilities and localizing manufacturing. He viewed the Republic of Korea as a key partner with immense potential for collaboration, eager to foster a more sustainable foundation for business relations between the two nations.