South Korea and Uzbekistan expand strategic partnership in AI and minerals

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a summit at Cheong Wa Dae to expand bilateral cooperation. The leaders discussed strengthening their ‘special strategic partnership’ across several high-tech and strategic sectors, including critical mineral supply chains, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, defense industries, and infrastructure.

The summit resulted in the signing of 13 agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs). Key outcomes include cooperation on the ‘Korea-Uzbekistan Rare Metals Center’ to manage the full lifecycle of mineral development, and an MOU for manufacturing AI transformation (AX). In the defense and transport sectors, Hyundai Rotem signed a contract to supply six high-speed train sets to the Uzbekistan Railways.

President Lee emphasized Uzbekistan’s role as a key partner in Central Asia and noted the importance of the 200,000 ethnic Koreans living in the country. President Mirziyoyev highlighted that over 700 Korean companies are currently operating in Uzbekistan, contributing to sectors such as e-government, IT, and healthcare. This bilateral meeting serves as a precursor to the inaugural South Korea-Central Asia Summit.