Presidents of Central Asian countries will be in Seoul next week

Presidents of Central Asian countries to visit Seoul next week

The first South Korea–Central Asia summit will be held in Seoul next week. It will be attended by the leaders of the five countries of the region. Reuters reported this, citing a statement by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

"Through this summit, relations between South Korea and Central Asia will unite into multilateral cooperation at the leadership level, and the New Northern Policy we have been promoting is expected to accelerate further," Lee said in a televised address.

The summit was originally scheduled to be held in 2025, but was postponed to 2026 due to political changes following former President Yoon Suk-yeol's failed attempt to declare martial law.

In February, Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul announced that the summit would take place on September 16–17 in Seoul. Prior to the summit, from September 14 to 16, the South Korean President will hold separate bilateral meetings with each of the leaders of the five Central Asian countries.

"The summit is the first leader-level multilateral meeting between South Korea and the five Central Asian countries, aimed at strengthening cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, energy, critical minerals, and supply chains," said Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.

The New Northern Policy, initiated under former President Moon Jae-in, aims to deepen economic, energy, and infrastructure ties with Central Asia and other Eurasian partners.