Lee Calls for New Silk Road Spirit at Korea-Central Asia Summit

President Lee Jae Myung called for deeper cooperation between South Korea and five Central Asian countries on Wednesday, invoking the historic Silk Road as a model for connecting economies, technologies and cultures across regions.

Lee delivered the message at the opening of the inaugural South Korea-Central Asia Summit in Seoul. The meeting brought together the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan for talks on expanding their countries' collective partnership with Seoul.

The summit gives South Korea a platform to pursue more resilient supply chains at a time when economic security has become closely linked to access to energy, minerals and advanced technology. Central Asia holds significant reserves of critical minerals and energy resources, while South Korea can contribute expertise in exploration, processing and industrial development.

Lee said the global economy was entering a period of upheaval in which supply chains, energy, markets, technology and security were increasingly intertwined. He argued that the cooperative spirit associated with the Silk Road was especially relevant in that environment because the ancient network connected people and ideas as well as goods.

The president urged the six countries to build on more than three decades of diplomatic and economic ties and prepare jointly for the next three decades. He said their complementary strengths could create broad opportunities while helping each side address its own challenges.

South Korea and the five Central Asian states have already developed cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, education and culture. The Seoul summit is intended to place those separate relationships within a wider regional framework and identify areas where coordinated action could deliver greater benefits.

For Seoul, stronger ties with Central Asia could reduce dependence on concentrated sources for strategically important materials and open opportunities for Korean companies in infrastructure, resource development and processing. For the participating Central Asian countries, Korean investment and technical capabilities could support efforts to move beyond raw-material exports and develop higher-value industries.

Lee framed the partnership as a long-term effort toward shared prosperity rather than a short-term resource arrangement. The summit also underscored South Korea's broader diplomatic push to strengthen links with countries positioned between East Asia and Europe as supply-chain risks reshape international economic policy.