Seoul Hosts the First Central Asia–Republic of Korea Summit
On September 16 President Lee Jae Myung received the leaders of all five Central Asian states. A cooperation forum that had run at ministerial level since 2007 was raised to the level of heads of state; a Seoul Declaration was set to be adopted.
The first Central Asia–Republic of Korea Summit took place in Seoul on 16 September 2026. It brought together Korean President Lee Jae Myung and the leaders of five regional states: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (Kazakhstan), Sadyr Japarov (Kyrgyzstan), Emomali Rahmon (Tajikistan), Serdar Berdimuhamedov (Turkmenistan) and Shavkat Mirziyoyev (Uzbekistan).
It is Korea's first multilateral summit with the Central Asian states. The Korea–Central Asia Cooperation Forum was created in 2007 and had until now operated at ministerial level.
The agenda
Seoul announced that the summit would adopt a Seoul Declaration setting out a medium- and long-term vision for cooperation and a framework for regular summit-level engagement.
The stated priorities were critical minerals, energy, resilient supply chains, trade and investment. The Times of Central Asia reported that around 500 government and business representatives were invited.
Bilateral meetings
Ahead of the summit Lee held separate talks with each leader: Uzbekistan on 14 September, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan on 15 September, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on 16 September.
The Uzbekistan–Korea talks on 14 September ended with the exchange of 13 documents and memoranda covering transport, aviation, agriculture, education and critical minerals.
By the numbers
- Korea–Central Asia trade (2025): $10 billion — up 90% on 2021
- Korean annual investment in the region: $117 million — up 69% on 2021
- Kazakhstan–Korea trade (2025): $3.17 billion (+1.3%)
- Kazakhstan–Korea trade (January–June 2026): $1.3 billion
- Kazakh exports to Korea (H1 2026): +17.2%
- Korean investment in Kazakhstan since 2005: more than $12 billion
- Korean-capital companies operating in Uzbekistan: more than 700
- Participants: 5 heads of state, about 500 delegates
Official statements
Korea recognized early on the need to engage Central Asia not as five separate counterparts but as a single region.
— Nam Jin, Director-General for Northeast and Central Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea (The Korea Times, 16.09.2026)
Nam Jin added that expanding beyond traditional sectors into emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, digital technology and climate solutions would build foundations for future growth.
A geopolitical hub and a region with high growth potential, rich in energy and critical minerals.
— Lee Jae Myung, President of the Republic of Korea, describing Central Asia at a meeting with senior secretaries (September 2026)
The Kazakhstan track
At the Korea–Kazakhstan business forum held before the summit, commercial documents worth $54.8 million in total were signed. They included a 1,000-tonne Kazakh beef export deal worth $13 million, the supply of 3,000 tonnes of refined sunflower oil per month, and a $1.3 million joint meat-production investment.
Kazakhstan was admitted to Korea's Employment Permit System as the 18th country, allowing Korean employers to recruit workers from it through official channels.
Energy and transport
Korea's first small modular reactor project is designed for roughly 700 MW, with construction due to start in 2031 and finish in 2035.
On transport, a first pilot container train ran in June 2024 along the South Korea–China–Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan route.
Context
Korea has been working to diversify its critical-minerals supply. Central Asian states, for their part, retain a multi-vector foreign policy while widening access to Asian markets.
A signed memorandum should not be counted as money already invested.
— Aidar Kurmashev, Head of the Asian Studies Department, Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (The Astana Times, September 2026)