WARSAW, September 18. /Dunyo IA/. Central Asia Specialist and Researcher at the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies of the University of Warsaw Linda Masalska shared with Dunyo IA her views on the outcomes of the state visit of the President of Uzbekistan to South Korea, held on September 13–16:

– During the visit, the leader of Uzbekistan held talks with President of South Korea Lee Jae-myung. Business meetings were also a key element of the visit. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held talks with representatives of major South Korean companies, including Kia Motors and Hyundai Motor Group, which indicates that economic cooperation is set to encompass not only critical raw materials but also, among other areas, the automotive industry.

From South Korea’s perspective, Central Asia is gaining in importance primarily due to its economic potential – mainly its raw material resources – and its growing geopolitical role. Critical raw materials, as well as new technologies, including artificial intelligence and digitalisation, may take on a special role in this cooperation in the coming years.

Uzbekistan occupies a special place in South Korea’s policy towards Central Asia. It is the only country in the region with which Seoul maintains what it describes as a special strategic partnership. This status, granted in 2019, underlines the political significance of bilateral ties.

While Uzbekistan is not among South Korea’s largest partners in Asia, it holds a distinct and politically significant place in Seoul’s Central Asia policy. This position stems from a combination of long-standing political ties and symbolic significance. An important element behind this is the presence of a large ethnic Korean community in Uzbekistan. Its history dates back to the Soviet era, when, in 1937, tens of thousands of Koreans were deported from the Far East of the USSR to Central Asia, primarily to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

In economic terms, South Korea remains an important investment and technology partner for Uzbekistan, although the scale of bilateral trade remains relatively limited. Uzbekistan has much stronger economic ties with Russia, China and the other Central Asian states. However, cooperation with South Korea forms part of Uzbekistan’s policy of diversifying its economic and foreign relations.

At the same time, it is precisely the limited scale of current cooperation that means there is considerable scope for its further development. The most promising areas include critical minerals, new technologies, artificial intelligence, the automotive industry and infrastructure development.

From Uzbekistan’s perspective, facilitating access to the South Korean market would be particularly beneficial. In the longer term, a free trade agreement could boost trade between the two countries and encourage more South Korean companies to invest in Uzbekistan.