UNJournal Lee Sung Jun | President Lee Jae-myung of the Republic of Korea and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan held a bilateral summit at the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on September 14, agreeing to elevate their countries' "Special Strategic Partnership" through expanded cooperation spanning critical minerals, artificial intelligence, defense, healthcare, the environment, tourism, and education.

The summit took place during President Mirziyoyev's state visit to Korea — the first among the leaders of the five Central Asian nations to arrive — arranged in conjunction with the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit scheduled for September 16. Thirteen agreements and memoranda of understanding were exchanged at a signing ceremony following the leaders' talks.

Reviewing Achievements, Charting a New Course

President Lee noted that the two countries have cooperated closely across a wide range of sectors since establishing diplomatic relations, steadily broadening the scope of their relationship. President Mirziyoyev assessed the Korea-Uzbekistan partnership as the closest and most exemplary in Central Asia, and expressed his commitment to sustaining and deepening that cooperative momentum. The Uzbek side also reaffirmed its unwavering support for South Korea's policy regarding the Korean Peninsula.

Infrastructure, Defense, and New Institutional Frameworks

Building on successful past collaboration in transport and logistics — including high-speed rail projects and the securing of contracts for the development and operation of the new Tashkent Airport and Urgench Airport — the two leaders agreed to further expand infrastructure cooperation and to ensure that competitive Korean companies actively participate in Uzbekistan's major infrastructure projects going forward.

In the defense sector, both leaders agreed on plans to generate new cooperative outcomes and continuously broaden the scope of collaboration, grounded in the high level of mutual trust that has developed between the two nations.

A significant institutional development coinciding with the summit is the formal opening of a "Korea Desk" — a dedicated unit within the Uzbek government designed to facilitate Korean companies' entry into and operations within the Uzbek market. Simultaneously, the "Korea-Uzbekistan Business Council," the first bilateral private-sector business platform between the two countries, was officially launched. Both leaders expressed their expectation that these bodies would serve as a vital foundation for stable local investment and market entry for Korean companies, and as a vehicle for expanding concrete economic cooperation through public-private partnerships.

Critical Minerals and AI as Future Pillars

Critical minerals and artificial intelligence have emerged as the two defining pillars of future-oriented cooperation between the two countries. The two nations agreed to strengthen supply chain collaboration across the full lifecycle of critical minerals — from exploration and development through to processing — using the "Korea-Uzbekistan Rare Metals Center" as a central hub.

In the AI sector, Korea and Uzbekistan will significantly expand cooperation for AI-driven transformation and innovation in manufacturing, grounded in a newly signed MOU on AI Transformation in Manufacturing. The agreement signals a strategic intention to apply Korean AI expertise to the modernisation of Uzbekistan's industrial base.

Healthcare, Environment, and Citizens' Well-Being

A notable feature of the summit's agenda was its emphasis on cooperation in areas directly affecting citizens' daily lives. In healthcare, the two sides are strengthening the foundation for pharmaceutical and medical device sector cooperation through collaboration on the establishment of a healthcare cluster and a newly signed MOU on regulatory cooperation for medical products. These initiatives aim both to advance Uzbekistan's healthcare system and to expand the institutional pathways for South Korean medical and bio-industry companies to enter the Uzbek market.

On the environment, both sides agreed to continue cooperation on forestry and environmental issues, with particular focus on Uzbekistan's acute challenges surrounding the desertification of the Aral Sea and water shortages. On climate change, they agreed to actively identify promising projects in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and landfill gas power generation, and to advance cooperation on international greenhouse gas reduction initiatives.

Tourism, Education, and the Goryeo-saram Legacy

The two leaders also moved to strengthen socio-cultural ties and people-to-people connections. President Lee welcomed the record 150,000 mutual visitors between the two countries last year, and through a newly signed MOU on tourism cooperation, both nations committed to institutional frameworks that facilitate travel and further boost bilateral tourism flows.

In education, an MOU on cooperation in early childhood and general education was signed, aiming to expand intergenerational exchanges and strengthen collaboration in Korean language education.

Perhaps the most symbolically resonant element of the summit's cultural agenda was the two leaders' joint commitment to complete the "Goryeo-saram History Museum Project" — a joint initiative marking the 90th anniversary of the settlement of ethnic Koreans in Central Asia, scheduled for next year. Both leaders acknowledged the vital role the Goryeo-saram community has played as a bridge between the two nations, and agreed that the museum project would serve to pass on that shared heritage to future generations.

A Partnership Transformed

The 13 documents exchanged following the summit cover the full breadth of the expanded cooperation agenda, translating the leaders' agreements into concrete projects and institutional frameworks. The accords collectively represent a transformation of the bilateral relationship — from one previously centred on transportation and infrastructure into a comprehensive partnership that now encompasses critical minerals, AI, defense, healthcare, the environment, tourism, and education.

The summit is expected to serve as a defining milestone in the Korea-Uzbekistan Special Strategic Partnership, setting the tone for the broader Korea-Central Asia Summit to follow on September 16.