1st multilateral summit elevates Korea-Central Asia cooperation to leaders' level

Korea’s first multilateral summit with the five Central Asian countries is elevating cooperation to the leaders’ level in Seoul, President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday. The meeting includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and follows bilateral talks held from Monday through Wednesday. Lee said supply chains, energy, markets and technology are increasingly intertwined. A Central Asia expert said the summit can help turn top-level consensus into concrete projects.

The Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum was launched in 2007, and the new summit raises the framework from the ministerial level to the leaders’ level.

Kim Sang-cheol said China, Japan and European countries have already expanded engagement with the five Central Asian countries.

Lee held separate summits with the leaders of the five countries from Monday through Wednesday before the multilateral meeting.

Turkmenistan has vast natural gas reserves and is seeking to diversify export routes, while Kazakhstan is rich in oil and other resources and has reached a more advanced stage of industrialization.

Uzbekistan is accelerating industrialization and is seeking cooperation in manufacturing, information technology, artificial intelligence and agricultural machinery.

Published Sep 16, 2026 4:28 pm KST

Cooperation in energy and critical minerals requires both multilateral and bilateral approaches: expert

President Lee Jae Myung and the leaders of five Central Asian countries hold hands during the Korea-Central Asia Summit in Seoul, Wednesday. From left are Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Lee, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov and Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedow. Yonhap

Korea’s first multilateral summit with the five Central Asian countries marks an important step toward institutionalizing cooperation with the resource-rich region at the highest political level, reflecting its growing strategic importance amid intensifying global competition over supply chains, a Central Asia expert said Wednesday.

The evaluation comes as the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit, hosted by President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul, brings together the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, elevating a cooperation framework that has been maintained at the ministerial level since the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum was launched in 2007 to the leaders' level.

Opening the summit, Lee said the world is undergoing a major transformation in which economic and security issues are increasingly intertwined across supply chains, energy, markets and technology.

“The ‘Silk Road spirit’ of Central Asia, which connected people, technology and culture between East and West, is more necessary than ever,” Lee said.

"The strengths of Korea and Central Asia will give us infinite opportunities to solve challenges together. When the cooperation expands beyond individual countries to the regional level, the future of shared prosperity will be accelerated," he said, expressing hope that the summit would serve as “an important milestone for new advancements.”

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit at a hotel in Seoul, Wednesday, with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attending. Yonhap

Kim Sang-cheol, a research professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies' Institute of Central Asian Studies, said the multilateral summit is vital in setting a common direction for Korea's engagement with the five countries, while bilateral talks remain essential for addressing their differing economic needs, resources and development priorities.

"Korea is not the only country looking toward Central Asia. The whole world is paying attention to the region," Kim said, noting that China, Japan and European countries have already established or expanded their own engagement with the five countries.

Kim said bringing the mechanism to the leaders’ level could help translate agreements into concrete projects by establishing political consensus at the top.

"If consensus is established among the leaders themselves, it becomes much easier for both Korea and the Central Asian countries to carry projects forward because they are based on agreements between presidents," Kim said.

Economic cooperation, particularly in energy and critical minerals, also illustrates why Korea needs both multilateral and bilateral approaches, according to Kim.

Korea, Central Asia to chart shared path at inaugural summit

Lee held separate summits with the leaders of the five countries from Monday through Wednesday, ahead of the multilateral meeting.

The talks included efforts to link Central Asia's abundant natural resources with Korea's technologies and expertise in exploration, development and processing, as Seoul seeks to diversify critical mineral and energy supply chains.

“The multilateral framework can set the overall direction of cooperation, while bilateral talks remain essential because the five countries have markedly different resources, industrial structures and levels of economic development,” Kim said.

Turkmenistan has vast natural gas reserves and is seeking to diversify export routes, while Kazakhstan is rich in oil and other resources and has reached a more advanced stage of industrialization, Kim explained.

Uzbekistan, meanwhile, is accelerating industrialization and is looking for cooperation in areas ranging from manufacturing to information technology, artificial intelligence and agricultural machinery.

The professor went on to explain that Central Asia's importance to Korea extends beyond the five countries themselves because of the region's economic and geographic connections with Russia, Iran and the wider Eurasian market.

“This makes the region potentially important as Korea seeks to diversify its economic links and expand its presence across Eurasia,” Kim said. "Central Asia could serve as a forward base for Korea as it looks beyond its traditional markets in East Asia."

韩国总统李在明周三表示，韩国与中亚五国举行的首次多边峰会将合作提升至领导人层面。此次峰会包括哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦、塔吉克斯坦、土库曼斯坦和乌兹别克斯坦，此前各方于周一至周三举行了双边会谈。李在明指出，供应链、能源、市场和技术之间的联系日益紧密。一位中亚问题专家表示，此次峰会有助于将高层共识转化为具体项目。

韩国—中亚合作论坛于2007年成立，此次新峰会将合作框架从部长级提升至领导人级。

金相哲表示，中国、日本和欧洲国家已经扩大了与中亚五国的合作。

在多边会议召开之前，李显龙于周一至周三分别与这五个国家的领导人举行了峰会。

土库曼斯坦拥有丰富的天然气储量，正在寻求出口路线多元化；而哈萨克斯坦石油和其他资源丰富，工业化程度更高。

乌兹别克斯坦正在加快工业化进程，并寻求在制造业、信息技术、人工智能和农业机械领域开展合作。

发布于2026年9月16日下午4:28（韩国标准时间）

能源和关键矿产领域的合作需要多边和双边相结合的方式：专家

周三，在首尔举行的韩国-中亚峰会上，韩国总统李在明与五位中亚国家领导人手牵手。从左至右依次为：乌兹别克斯坦总统沙夫卡特·米尔济约耶夫、塔吉克斯坦总统埃莫马利·拉赫蒙、哈萨克斯坦总统卡西姆若马尔特·托卡耶夫、李在明总统、吉尔吉斯斯坦总统萨德尔·扎帕罗夫和土库曼斯坦总统谢尔达尔·别尔德穆哈梅多夫。（韩联社）

一位中亚问题专家周三表示，韩国与中亚五国举行的首次多边峰会，标志着在最高政治层面与这个资源丰富的地区建立制度化合作迈出了重要一步，反映出在全球供应链竞争日益激烈的背景下，该地区的战略重要性日益增强。

此次评估正值首届韩国—中亚峰会在首尔举行之际。此次峰会由韩国总统李在明主持，哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦、塔吉克斯坦、土库曼斯坦和乌兹别克斯坦的领导人齐聚一堂，将自2007年韩国—中亚合作论坛成立以来一直维持在部长级的合作框架提升至领导人级别。

李在峰会开幕式上表示，世界正在经历一场重大变革，经济和安全问题日益交织在供应链、能源、市场和技术之中。

李说：“连接东西方人民、技术和文化的‘丝绸之路精神’，在今天比以往任何时候都更加重要。”

他表示：“韩国和中亚的优势将为我们共同应对挑战提供无限机遇。当合作从单个国家扩展到区域层面时，共享繁荣的未来将会加速到来。”他希望此次峰会能够成为“迈向新发展的重要里程碑”。

韩国总统李在明周三在首尔一家酒店举行的首届韩国—中亚峰会上发表讲话，哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦、塔吉克斯坦、土库曼斯坦和乌兹别克斯坦的领导人出席了峰会。（韩联社）

韩国外国语大学中亚研究所研究员金相哲表示，多边峰会对于为韩国与这五个国家的交往设定共同方向至关重要，而双边会谈对于解决它们不同的经济需求、资源和发展优先事项仍然至关重要。

“韩国并非唯一关注中亚的国家。全世界都在关注该地区，”金正恩说，并指出中国、日本和欧洲国家已经与这五个国家建立了联系或扩大了联系。

金正恩表示，将该机制提升到领导人层面，有助于通过在最高层建立政治共识，将协议转化为具体项目。

金正恩表示：“如果领导人之间能够达成共识，那么韩国和中亚国家就更容易推进项目，因为这些项目都是基于总统之间的协议。”

金表示，经济合作，尤其是在能源和关键矿产领域的合作，也说明了为什么韩国需要采取多边和双边相结合的方式。

韩国和中亚将在首届峰会上探讨共同发展道路

在多边会议召开之前，李显龙于周一至周三分别与这五个国家的领导人举行了峰会。

会谈内容包括努力将中亚丰富的自然资源与韩国在勘探、开发和加工方面的技术和专业知识联系起来，因为首尔正在寻求实现关键矿产和能源供应链的多元化。

金表示：“多边框架可以为合作设定总体方向，但双边会谈仍然至关重要，因为这五个国家的资源、产业结构和经济发展水平存在显著差异。”

金解释说，土库曼斯坦拥有丰富的天然气储量，正在寻求出口路线多元化，而哈萨克斯坦石油和其他资源丰富，工业化程度更高。

与此同时，乌兹别克斯坦正在加速工业化进程，并寻求在制造业、信息技术、人工智能和农业机械等领域开展合作。

教授接着解释说，中亚对韩国的重要性不仅限于这五个国家本身，因为该地区与俄罗斯、伊朗以及更广泛的欧亚市场有着经济和地理联系。

金表示：“鉴于韩国寻求经济联系多元化并扩大其在欧亚大陆的影响力，这使得该地区具有潜在的重要性。中亚可以成为韩国拓展东亚传统市场之外的前沿基地。”