Diplomacy Journal Kim Tae Yeon | The Republic of Korea and the Republic of Uzbekistan exchanged 13 agreements and MOUs to expand the scope of cooperation to include health, environment, tourism, and education.

On September 14 this year, President Lee Jae-myung held a summit meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan at the Office of the President (Blue House) in Seoul, who was visiting South Korea on a state visit. The two leaders discussed future-oriented cooperation measures to elevate the two nations' "Special Strategic Partnership" to the next higher level.

This summit took place during President Mirziyoyev’s state visit to Korea, which coincided with the launching of the Korea-Central Asia Summit. The two leaders reviewed the development of bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties and agreed to expand cooperation into areas such as transportation and logistics infrastructure, the defense industry, critical minerals, artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare, the environment, tourism, and education.

President Lee noted that the two countries have steadily broadened the horizons of their relationship through close cooperation across various sectors since establishing diplomatic ties. President Mirziyoyev also assessed the Korea-Uzbekistan relationship as the closest and most exemplary partnership in Central Asia and expressed his commitment to further strengthening the momentum of this cooperation.

Additionally, the Uzbek side reaffirmed its unwavering support for South Korea’s policy regarding the Korean Peninsula and agreed to expand cooperation in future-oriented industries, including transport and infrastructure, defense, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence.

Building on their successful track record of cooperation in transport and logistics infrastructure--such as high-speed rail projects--the two leaders agreed to further expand collaboration in these sectors.

In particular, leveraging achievements such as securing contracts for the development and operation of the new Tashkent Airport and Urgench Airport, the two governments agreed to cooperate closely to ensure that competitive Korean companies can actively participate in Uzbekistan’s major infrastructure projects.

In the defense sector, the two sides plan to generate new cooperative outcome and continuously broaden the scope of collaboration, grounded in the high level of mutual trust established between the nations.

A new institutional framework to underpin economic cooperation has also been established. Coinciding with this summit, the "Korea Desk"—a dedicated unit within the Uzbek government to support Korean companies—will be officially opened, and the "Korea-Uzbekistan Business Council"—the first bilateral private-sector business platform between the two countries—will be launched.

The two leaders also expressed hope that these bodies would serve as a vital foundation for supporting stable local investment and market entry for Korean companies, while facilitating expanded, tangible economic cooperation through public-private collaboration.

In the realm of future-oriented industries, critical minerals and the AI-driven digital transformation have emerged as new pillars of cooperation. The two nations agreed to strengthen supply chain cooperation covering the entire lifecycle—from exploration and development to processing—of critical minerals, utilizing the "Korea-Uzbekistan Rare Metals Center" as a hub.

In the AI sector, they agreed to significantly expand cooperation for AI-driven transformation and innovation in manufacturing, based on the "MOU on AI Transformation (AX) in Manufacturing."

Strengthening cooperation in areas directly impacting citizens’ livelihood, such as health and the environment, "Partners growing together":
The two leaders also agreed to achieve tangible results not only in the economic and industrial sectors but also in areas directly affecting the livelihood of their citizens, such as health and the environment.

The two nations are strengthening the foundation for cooperation in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors through initiatives such as collaborating on the establishment of a healthcare cluster and signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on regulatory cooperation for medical products. These efforts aim to support the advancement of Uzbekistan’s healthcare system while simultaneously expanding the institutional framework for South Korean medical and bio-industry companies to enter the local market of Uzbekistan.
In the environmental sector, the two sides agreed to continue cooperation on forestry and environmental issues to address major challenges facing Uzbekistan, such as the desertification of the Aral Sea and water shortages.

Regarding climate change response, they agreed to actively identify promising projects—including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and landfill gas power generation—and to advance cooperation on international greenhouse gas reduction initiatives.

This cooperation is significant as it expands the bilateral relationship beyond traditional infrastructure and trade to encompass high-tech industries and areas that directly benefit the people.

Concrete agreements reached: 13 accords and MOUs covering tourism, education, and ethnic Koryo-saram history in Uzbekistan:

The two leaders agreed to further strengthen socio-cultural ties by revitalizing exchanges between local cities and fostering people-to-people connections.

President Lee welcomed the fact that the number of mutual visitors between the two countries reached a record high of 150,000 last year. Through an MOU on tourism cooperation, the two nations plan to pursue institutional cooperation to facilitate travel and further boost tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
In the field of education, they signed an MOU on cooperation in early childhood and general education, aiming to expand exchanges between future generations and strengthen collaboration in Korean language education.

Notably, the two leaders acknowledged the vital role the Koryo-saram (ethnic Koreans in Uzbekistan) community has played over the years as a precious bridge connecting the two nations. The two countries agreed to successfully complete the "Koryo-saram History Museum Project"—a joint initiative marking the 90th anniversary of the ethnic Koreans' settlement in Central Asia next year—thereby passing on the shared heritage of Koryo-saram history and culture to future generations.

Following the summit, the two leaders attended a signing ceremony for agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) designed to underpin the substantive development of bilateral relations; a total of 13 such documents were exchanged.

The exchanged documents outline plans to expand the scope of cooperation between South Korea and Uzbekistan—previously centered on transportation and infrastructure—to include high-tech industries and areas that directly benefit the public, while also translating the leaders' agreements into concrete projects and institutional frameworks.

This summit is expected to elevate the "Special Strategic Partnership" between South Korea and Uzbekistan to a Comprehensive Cooperative Relationship that encompasses not only infrastructure and trade but also future growth sectors and areas affecting daily life, such as critical minerals, AI, the defense industry, healthcare, the environment, tourism, and education.

By Publisher-Chairman Lee Jon-Young, Special Feature Editor Andy Hyun