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President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, after completing their tour of three Central Asian countries, are saying farewell to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and his spouse at Samarkand Airport, an ancient city and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, before returning home on the 15th (local time). [Photo by Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol returned to Korea on the 16th after completing his first overseas trip of the year, a state visit to three Central Asian countries. This visit is being evaluated as having laid the foundation for cooperation in the critical mineral supply chain between Korea and resource-rich Central Asia. During the five nights and seven days itinerary, President Yoon visited Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan consecutively, holding talks with the leaders of the three countries to strengthen cooperation in energy and critical mineral supply chains.
Volunteering as the 'No. 1 salesperson,' President Yoon actively provided support to help Korean companies operating in Central Asia secure orders. As a result of this visit, Uzbekistan achieved a milestone by exporting Korean high-speed trains overseas for the first time, worth 270 billion won. In Turkmenistan, the possibility of Korean companies participating in large-scale gas field and chemical plant construction projects increased, opening the way for orders worth 6 billion dollars (8.3 trillion won). In Kazakhstan, a 'Critical Mineral Supply Chain Cooperation Partnership Agreement' was signed, and a green light was given for Korean companies to enter the nuclear power plant construction business.
One of the key achievements of this visit was laying the groundwork for the 'K-Silk Road Initiative' and securing full support from participating countries for the 'Korea-Central Asia Five Countries Summit' to be held in Korea next year. It is also noteworthy that Korea expanded its diplomatic horizon to Central Asia, moving beyond diplomacy centered on the 'U.S.-Japan' and 'China-Russia' axes.
Yoon Returns Home After Visiting Three Central Asian Countries
President Yoon and his wife returned to Korea through Seoul Airport in the early morning of the 16th after completing state visits to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Departing on the 10th, President Yoon visited Turkmenistan until the 11th, Kazakhstan from the 11th to the 13th, and Uzbekistan from the 13th to the 15th, holding talks with the leaders of each country.
President Yoon concluded his seven-day Central Asia tour with a visit to Samarkand, the historic city at the heart of the Silk Road and a UNESCO World Heritage site, alongside Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. President Mirziyoyev, who previously served as governor of Samarkand, personally introduced President Yoon to the Afrosiyob Museum and the Ulugh Beg Observatory. They also viewed a mural in the museum depicting an envoy believed to be an ancient Korean from the 7th century. President Mirziyoyev and his wife, along with the president’s second daughter and her spouse, saw off President Yoon and his wife at Samarkand International Airport.
On the last day of their state visit to three Central Asian countries on the 15th (local time), President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee visited the ancient city of Samarkand, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and his wife. They took a commemorative photo at the entrance before inspecting Registan Square. Photo by Yonhap News.
Through this visit, President Yoon solidified the cooperation framework with the three Central Asian countries rich in critical minerals and spared no effort in supporting Korean companies operating in Central Asia as the 'No. 1 salesperson.'
Central Asia is a region abundant in energy resources such as natural gas and crude oil, as well as critical minerals. Notably, tungsten and molybdenum are key minerals used in Korea’s major industries like semiconductors and secondary batteries. During this visit, Korea signed 'Critical Mineral Supply Chain Cooperation Partnership Agreements' with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, establishing a comprehensive cooperation system covering the entire cycle from exploration to development and production of critical minerals such as lithium, manganese, and molybdenum. Once economic feasibility is confirmed through mineral exploration, Korean companies are guaranteed priority opportunities to participate in development and production.
An official from the Presidential Office stated, "The importance of securing critical minerals from an economic security perspective is increasing, and forming networks with countries possessing these minerals is crucial. However, it is very challenging for companies to do this alone, and since China has aggressively pursued securing mineral resources, our government is also continuously signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and cooperating on supply chain partnerships to support companies."
Yoon Rolls Up Sleeves to Support Companies, Secures $6 Billion Order in Turkmenistan
As a result of President Yoon’s visit, significant contracts that had been quietly negotiated by companies and the government materialized into concrete achievements. In Turkmenistan, the first country visited, Hyundai Engineering signed a basic agreement for the fourth desulfurization facility at the Galkynysh Gas Field, one of the world’s top five gas fields, and a second-phase cooperation agreement for the normalization of the Kiyanly Polymer Plant. Daewoo Engineering & Construction is also fully committed to securing orders for a planned urea and ammonia fertilizer plant in Kiyanly. The scale of projects won by Korean companies in Turkmenistan is estimated to reach about 6 billion dollars (8.3 trillion won).
President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering the keynote speech at the 'Korea-Kazakhstan Business Forum' held at the Hilton Hotel in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the afternoon of the 12th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
In Uzbekistan, Hyundai Rotem and Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) secured a 200 million dollar (270 billion won) contract for the supply and maintenance of distributed power high-speed trains ordered by the Uzbekistan Railways, with both presidents in attendance. Hyundai Rotem will supply six train sets (each consisting of seven cars) of the 'KTX-Eum (EMU-260),' a high-speed train capable of 250 km/h, by 2027, upgraded with purely Korean technology.
On the 14th (local time), Park Sang-woo, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said at a briefing in Tashkent, "The KTX-Eum train is currently operating on Korea’s Jungang Line. The Korean-style high-speed train is the result of efforts by the government and private sector to rapidly localize train technology since acquiring high-speed rail technology from France over 20 years ago. It is a great achievement to export a train developed entirely with Korean technology." He emphasized the significance of Korea’s full-scale entry into the rapidly growing global high-speed rail market, starting with exports to Uzbekistan.
K-Silk Road Foundation... ‘Korea-Central Asia Five Countries Summit’ in Korea Next Year
President Yoon Suk-yeol and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, former President of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the People's Council as well as the country's Supreme Leader, are shaking hands at the conclusion of the 'Korea-Turkmenistan Business Forum' held at the Chamber of Commerce in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on the morning of the 11th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
Another major achievement of this visit was securing the full support of the three countries for the Korean government’s 'K-Silk Road Initiative.' The K-Silk Road is the third regional strategy announced by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, following the 'Indo-Pacific Strategy' and the 'Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative.' This is the first time the Korean government has presented a diplomatic strategy specialized for Central Asia, aiming to create a new cooperation model by linking Korea’s innovative capabilities with Central Asia’s abundant resources and development potential.
President Yoon explained the 'K-Silk Road' initiative in detail to the three leaders and actively advocated the necessity and importance of cooperation between Korea and Central Asia. All three leaders expressed their agreement with the K-Silk Road initiative and gave full support for the Korea-Central Asia Summit to be held in Korea next year.
Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, remarked, "Central Asia is an emerging strategic region. It was only last year that the U.S. and China held their first Central Asia summits in September and May, respectively. We plan to hold the first such summit next year," highlighting its significance. He added, "Amid escalating global energy and supply chain crises caused by various wars and conflicts, Central Asia’s geopolitical and geoeconomic value is rapidly rising. This is because Central Asia is not only resource-rich but also geographically located at a key point connecting East and West."
Kim further stated, "We will appropriately combine our hard power and soft power to ensure Central Asia holds a favorable view of Korea and seeks strategic cooperation. We will continue economic security diplomacy that expands the activities of our citizens and companies, builds more allied networks for cooperation, and continuously increases and creates jobs and national wealth."
Meanwhile, during President Yoon’s visit, a survey conducted by Gallup Korea from the 11th to the 13th targeting 1,000 adults showed that the positive evaluation of President Yoon’s job performance was 26%. This was a 5 percentage point increase from the previous survey (conducted from the 28th to 30th of last month), which was the lowest since his inauguration. The reasons for positive evaluations included diplomacy (23%) and expansion of medical school quotas (10%), while negative evaluations cited the economy, livelihood, and inflation (13%) and lack of communication (9%).
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