South Korea has established a new framework for cooperation with all five Central Asian presidents during a summit held in Seoul on September 16. This meeting, marking the first of its kind, aims to strengthen ties in critical minerals and supply chain security, while its long-term success will depend on the depth of engagement and benefits to the region, South Korean officials said.
The summit represents a significant shift in South Korea’s approach to Central Asia, which has been formalized through the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum since 2007. Previous administrations have integrated the region into broader geopolitical strategies, notably Moon Jae-in’s New Northern Policy and Yoon Suk-yeol’s K-Silk Road initiative.
The recent summit upgraded cooperative efforts from primarily bilateral relationships to a common presidential format, thus institutionalizing multilateral dialogue. An inaugural C5+1 Industry Ministers’ Meeting was also established, focusing on collaboration in industry, supply chains, and critical minerals.
Current global economic challenges, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and disruptions in trade, have highlighted the need for South Korea to diversify its sources for essential materials. Professor Matteo Fumagalli from the University of St Andrews remarked that while the summit signifies a push for resilience in supply chains, it does not indicate a fundamental shift in South Korean foreign relations.
Central Asia is considered an attractive option for South Korea due to its reserves of strategic minerals like uranium and tungsten, which are crucial for South Korean industries such as semiconductors and batteries. However, the region’s focus extends beyond resource extraction to aims of industrial transformation.
The C5+1 Industry Ministers’ Meeting identified several key areas for collaboration, including industrial infrastructure, technology cooperation, talent development, and higher-value processing. Central Asian governments expressed a desire for partnerships that foster local processing capabilities and expertise rather than merely exporting raw materials.
Experts stress the importance of developing local capabilities through technology transfer. Aidar Kurmashev from the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies emphasized that effective technology transfer requires local engineers and infrastructure capable of supporting production processes.
Progress in this area can be seen in Kazakhstan’s automotive industry, where Korean-backed production has led to localized component manufacturing and a strengthened educational connection to industry needs.
However, several challenges remain, including Central Asia’s landlocked geography and the complexity of transport logistics. The Middle Corridor is gaining attention as a potential route for trade, but reaching Central Asia from South Korea will often still require maritime connections due to political tensions with North Korea.
The varied economic structures of the Central Asian states pose another challenge. While Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan dominate in terms of market size and industrial base, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan may offer different opportunities for collaboration, requiring a tailored approach rather than a one-size-fits-all model.
Experts propose that successful cooperation should incorporate bilateral investments while fostering regional networks. Smaller economies can benefit from participating in specialized supply chains, logistics, and technical services connected to larger regional initiatives.
South Korea’s growing involvement in Central Asia is viewed as an opportunity for the region to enhance its economic partnerships without relying solely on existing dominant powers like China and Russia. The goal is to reduce structural dependencies by diversifying partnerships.
Despite the enthusiastic reception of South Korean culture and business in places like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, maintaining goodwill will be critical. There is concern that if South Korea’s engagement becomes heavily focused on extracting resources, it could mirror the frustrations Central Asian governments have toward traditional extractive partnerships.
The summit and the establishment of the C5+1 framework are seen as pivotal steps forward, but experts emphasize that tangible results must follow in the form of viable projects and local investment capabilities. Moving beyond diplomatic agreements to operational projects will be essential for delivering concrete benefits to Central Asian economies in the months and years ahead.
