Lee and Japarov Seek Broader South Korea-Kyrgyzstan Cooperation
President Lee Jae Myung and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov agreed that their countries have room to deepen practical cooperation, with infrastructure, public administration, safety, disaster response, food security and education identified as promising areas.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called Kyrgyzstan a solid political and economic partner on Wednesday as he and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov sought to broaden bilateral exchanges into a wider range of practical fields.
The leaders met in Seoul ahead of the inaugural South Korea-Central Asia Summit, a gathering also involving the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Their talks formed part of Seoul’s effort to deepen engagement with a region that has become increasingly important to South Korea’s diplomatic and economic strategy.
Lee said South Korea and Kyrgyzstan have steadily developed cooperation in politics, the economy and culture since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992. He pointed to the scale of bilateral commerce, describing Kyrgyzstan as South Korea’s second-largest trading partner in Central Asia by trade volume. He said the relationship still has substantial room to grow.
The South Korean president identified infrastructure, public administration, public safety, disaster response, food security and education as areas where the two governments could pursue mutually beneficial cooperation. The range of sectors reflects an emphasis on exchanges that can connect government capacity, social resilience and economic development rather than limiting the relationship to a single industry.
Lee also asked Japarov to support South Korea’s efforts to promote peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. The request placed the bilateral discussion within Seoul’s broader diplomatic agenda as it seeks international backing for stability on the peninsula.
Japarov said Kyrgyzstan regards South Korea as one of its major cooperation partners in the Asia-Pacific region and gives priority to working with Seoul across multiple sectors. He said the two countries have no major differences in their political views and hold similar positions on international and regional affairs.
The Kyrgyz leader added that considerable cooperation potential remains untapped. He expressed confidence that the countries could further develop their relationship and produce tangible results in new fields, signaling an interest in moving from broad diplomatic support toward concrete projects.
Japarov invited Lee to visit Kyrgyzstan next year, when the two countries will commemorate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Such a visit would give both governments another opportunity to review progress and advance initiatives discussed during the Seoul meeting.
The bilateral talks came as South Korea hosted the first summit-level meeting with all five Central Asian states, creating a new channel for regional coordination while allowing Seoul to develop country-specific partnerships alongside the broader framework.