Rizky Amelia
South Korea is hosting an inaugural presidential summit in Seoul with the heads of state from five Central Asian nations, marking a historic step in the East Asian country’s efforts to expand its regional footprint and solidify long-term diplomatic and economic cooperation.
The multilateral gathering follows a series of high-level bilateral discussions between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Held at Seoul’s presidential Blue House, the talks are intended to place economic engagement between South Korea and the region on a more institutionalized and enduring foundation.
This summit significantly elevates an intergovernmental dialogue mechanism that has been active since 2007, promoting it from ministerial discussions to direct engagement among heads of state. According to regional analysts, the primary diplomatic objective is establishing a regular, high-level framework that can eventually translate into comprehensive bilateral agreements.
A critical benchmark for the summit will be its ability to formulate practical initiatives across several key sectors, including critical mineral supply chains, energy, digital technologies, and regional transportation links. Experts note that the meeting provides an opportunity to turn diplomatic goodwill into concrete commercial and industrial outcomes.
For the five Central Asian countries, often coordinating diplomatically under the collective "C5+" grouping, the Seoul summit offers a vital channel to broaden foreign partnerships. The regional governments are actively working to diversify their economic, investment, and technological ties beyond their traditional partnerships with Moscow and Beijing, all while safeguarding their respective national strategic priorities.
Simultaneously, South Korea faces urgent economic incentives to forge closer bonds with Central Asia. Domestically, the country has limited natural resources and maintains substantial supply-chain vulnerabilities, especially concerning its high reliance on China for industrial inputs, critical components, and essential raw materials.
Central Asia possesses abundant energy and critical mineral reserves that can help South Korea diversify its supply lines and explore alternative production avenues. In exchange, South Korea is positioned to supply advanced technological tools, investment capital, and extensive industrial know-how to assist Central Asian modernization programs.
This partnership aligns with Seoul’s "K-Silk Road" strategy, a dedicated diplomatic and economic initiative introduced in 2024. The initiative seeks to expand South Korea's regional role beyond simple resource extraction by fostering joint manufacturing, technology transfers, and processing capabilities in collaboration with local enterprises.
Governments across Central Asia, particularly in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, have increasingly resisted remaining purely raw-material exporters. Instead, they are prioritizing the development of domestic industrial hubs, requiring foreign partners to provide the skills, facilities, and technical capacity necessary for value-added manufacturing.
South Korea’s financial footprint in the region has expanded steadily, with cumulative foreign direct investment reaching approximately $6.4 billion by the end of 2025. Kazakhstan currently represents the largest share of South Korean investment and bilateral trade in Central Asia, positioning it to advocate for larger industrial facilities, joint research centers, and localized supply chains.
Beyond commercial and geopolitical interests, relations between South Korea and Central Asia are anchored in a profound historical and human connection spanning nearly nine decades. In 1937, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin ordered the forced deportation of over 170,000 ethnic Koreans from the Soviet Far East to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan under the pretext of halting Japanese espionage.
Known collectively as Koryo-saram, these deportees endured extreme hardships, arriving in Central Asia during the late autumn without permanent shelter. Many survived harsh winter conditions through the hospitality of local communities and fellow deportees, though they remained restricted to collective farms until after Stalin’s death.
Over the decades, the Koryo-saram preserved elements of their cultural heritage while adapting to their new environments, modifying traditional recipes with local ingredients and experiencing linguistic divergence from the Korean Peninsula. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, South Korea began establishing cultural centers throughout Central Asia to help Koryo-saram and local citizens reconnect with contemporary Korean language and arts.
South Korea’s cultural footprint expanded dramatically throughout Central Asia during the 2010s, driven by the global popularity of Korean television dramas and K-pop music. This cultural wave helped lay the groundwork for robust soft power and heightened regional familiarity.
Today, government-backed cultural events, including kimchi and music festivals sponsored by South Korean embassies, are regular occurrences in cities like Astana. These initiatives, alongside expanded academic exchange programs for Central Asian students, have fostered greater mutual understanding between the populations.
The inaugural presidential summit represents the convergence of these enduring historical ties and contemporary economic necessities. By engaging the C5+ nations at the highest executive level, Seoul aims to build a comprehensive partnership that secures critical industrial supply chains while supporting Central Asia's broader industrial ambitions.
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