Mirziyoyev calls on South Korea to make a joint leap in development
Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, ahead of the first South Korea–Central Asia summit in Seoul, called for deeper cooperation with South Korea in advanced technologies, investment and human capital development. He expressed hope that the meeting would bring breakthrough agreements on expanding investment cooperation, The Korea Herald reports.
Investment and technology
South Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are expected to participate in the summit. The parties are expected to adopt the Seoul Declaration, which will set out long-term principles of cooperation. Seoul seeks to combine Central Asia’s reserves of critical minerals and energy resources with Korean technologies, as well as develop partnerships in infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital technologies, climate-related areas and other new sectors.
According to Mirziyoyev, trade between Uzbekistan and South Korea has increased fivefold in recent years, while accumulated Korean investment has exceeded $8 billion. The countries have more than 700 joint ventures and projects. Uzbekistan’s project portfolio with the Korea International Cooperation Agency, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and affiliated funds exceeds $3.5 billion.
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The president named artificial intelligence, critical materials and semiconductors, robotics, electric transport, biopharmaceuticals, modern chemistry, smart agriculture and smart cities as promising areas of cooperation. Uzbekistan, he said, is interested not only in capital inflows but also in establishing high-value-added production and integrating into global production chains.
Regional and educational cooperation
Mirziyoyev also linked bilateral partnership to broader cooperation between South Korea and the Central Asian states. He said that the region’s economies are growing by an average of more than 7%, while their combined GDP exceeded $500 billion in 2025. In his view, South Korea’s industrial capabilities, capital and modernization experience can play a special role in the region’s development.
The Uzbek president also named cooperation between universities and research centers, joint educational programs, academic exchanges, and the creation of centers for advanced research and development as a separate priority. He stressed that technology cannot replace people and that young people must become an important link in the future Uzbek-Korean partnership.
