Column: Why the first "Republic of Korea — Central Asia" summit is especially important today

Column: Why the First "Republic of Korea — Central Asia" Summit is Especially Important Today

The "Republic of Korea — Central Asia" format has been active for almost twenty years. During this time, it has turned into a significant platform for political dialogue and has become the starting point for many joint initiatives.

Now, this format is rising to the level of heads of state, which means a transition from sectoral coordination to strategic decisions. During the days of the summit, on September 16–17, a state visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Republic of Korea will take place.

For Seoul, this indicates that Central Asia is acquiring the status of an important strategic partner. The new format will be built on a solid foundation of bilateral relations and, at the same time, will facilitate the development of cooperation with the entire region.

At the same time, the strengthening of dialogue is not associated with a sharp change in the course of the Republic of Korea. Rather, two processes coincided: the transformation of Central Asia itself and Seoul's desire to deepen strategic interaction with the region.

Over the past few years, Central Asia has changed, perhaps more than in any other period since the countries of the region gained independence. The states have noticeably strengthened mutual trust, made political dialogue regular, and built working mechanisms for regional cooperation.

As a result, Central Asia is increasingly perceived not just as a geographical space, but as a single region capable of promoting common interests and acting in a more coordinated manner. Against this background, Seoul's growing interest looks completely natural.

South Korea's economic competitiveness is increasingly determined not only by technological leadership, but also by the resilience of supply chains, diversification of production networks, and the presence of reliable long-term partnerships. Therefore, Seoul is looking for partners who can offer a combination of strategically important resources, industrial and human potential, as well as political stability.

However, South Korea's interest is not limited only to the search for resources and entry into new markets. The strength of its approach is the joint creation of added value: the exchange of technologies and knowledge, human resources development, industrial diversification, and the formation of safe and resilient supply chains.

Central Asia is gradually becoming precisely such a partner for Seoul. South Korea, in turn, is capable of helping the countries of the region diversify their economies and move up to higher links in global value chains.

Today, Central Asia is turning into one of the most promising markets in Eurasia. The region's population has exceeded 85 million people, with more than half of the residents under 30 years old. The economies of Central Asian countries have been demonstrating steady growth rates in recent years.

The young population, expanding domestic markets, and increasingly close ties between countries are forcing global investors and states with developed technological economies to look at Central Asia in a new way.

Uzbekistan occupies a key place in these changes.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's course toward openness and active engagement with neighbors has become one of the factors bringing the countries of the region closer together. Almost 38 million people live in Uzbekistan — about half of the population of Central Asia. The country plays a prominent role in developing regional dialogue, strengthening connectivity, and expanding practical cooperation.

Over the past eight years, Uzbekistan has also noticeably strengthened its partnership with South Korea. The volume of bilateral trade has almost doubled. Currently, about 700 enterprises with the participation of Korean capital operate in the country, and the total volume of investments from South Korea has exceeded 8 billion dollars. Korean business is represented in energy, the chemical industry, mechanical engineering, healthcare, digital technologies, and education.

At the same time, relations are not limited to the economy alone. Uzbekistan is home to the largest Korean diaspora in the post-Soviet space — about 170 thousand people. The long-term nature of cooperation is also emphasized by the operation of branches of leading Korean universities in the country.

Koryo-saram — ethnic Koreans of Central Asia — not only preserve a living memory of a shared history, but also connect the two societies through human contacts. The expansion of educational exchanges and professional mobility will help preserve and strengthen this bond for future generations.

But the significance of the partnership is not limited to trade, investment, and humanitarian contacts.

For Central Asia, South Korea is one of the brightest examples of successful modernization. In just one generation, the country went from a developing economy to one of the world's technological leaders.

For a region that is carrying out large-scale reforms, modernizing industry, and adopting digital technologies, the Korean experience is important not only as a model to study. It can become a source of practical solutions for public policy and institutional development.

Therefore, the significance of the first "Republic of Korea — Central Asia" summit goes beyond the current diplomatic agenda. It shows that relations have reached such a level of maturity where simply increasing the number of joint projects is no longer enough for further progress. The parties need a common long-term strategic vision.

While the previous two decades were dedicated to creating a solid foundation for cooperation, the next decade will require searching for joint responses to the challenges of the new economic era. Among the key areas are artificial intelligence, digital transformation, critical mineral resources, "green" infrastructure, industrial cooperation, and human capital development.

The significance of the upcoming summit lies not only in the fact that it will gather the leaders of the region's countries for the first time. It provides a chance to define the next stage of a partnership that has already gone beyond the previous institutional formats.

Therefore, the success of the summit should be evaluated not only by the number of agreements in Seoul, but also by whether it can lay the foundation for a regular dialogue at the level of heads of state and whether the parties will have a roadmap with concrete and mutually beneficial results for both Central Asia and the Republic of Korea.