Kazakhstan and South Korea agree to expand cooperation in energy, nuclear power, critical minerals, advanced technologies and artificial intelligence

 

Kazakhstan and South Korea have agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, expanding cooperation beyond traditional energy and trade relations. The agreement was reached during talks between Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul on September 15.

The talks took place ahead of the first Central Asia–Republic of Korea Summit, which brought together the leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Against this backdrop, Kazakhstan is emerging as one of Seoul’s key partners in its broader strategy to strengthen economic ties with Central Asia.

Following the talks, the two sides agreed to intensify cooperation in trade, energy, industry, transport, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy and critical minerals. Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi had previously said that Kazakhstan was interested in expanding cooperation beyond the automotive sector into more technology-intensive areas, including artificial intelligence and critical minerals.

One of the key outcomes of the visit was the signing of a memorandum on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Kazakhstan and South Korea also agreed to expand cooperation in the oil sector and other high-technology fields. A number of agreements covering energy, oil, science and technology were signed during the bilateral talks.

Nuclear cooperation is particularly significant for Kazakhstan, which has some of the world’s largest uranium reserves and plays an important role in the global nuclear fuel market.

The two sides also paid particular attention to critical minerals. South Korean officials view Kazakhstan as a potentially important supplier of raw materials for high-technology industries, including lithium and rare metals. South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said that cooperation should extend beyond resource extraction to include processing and the production of higher-value goods.

The emerging approach is aimed at developing a more comprehensive supply chain, from geological exploration and the extraction of Kazakh resources to their processing using South Korean technologies. This approach is consistent with Seoul’s efforts to diversify its supplies of strategic raw materials amid the restructuring of global production and supply chains.

The economic foundation for further cooperation is already well established. According to CCBS, bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and South Korea reached $3.17 billion in 2025. Hundreds of South Korean companies, including Hyundai Motor, Kia, Samsung Electronics and Doosan, operate in Kazakhstan.

President Tokayev proposed doubling the volume of bilateral trade. Kazakhstan is also seeking to attract South Korean investment and technology to modernize its industrial sector, develop digital infrastructure and establish new manufacturing facilities.

South Korea, for its part, views Central Asia as a promising source of energy resources and critical minerals. At the first Central Asia–Republic of Korea Summit, Seoul proposed expanding cooperation beyond raw material extraction to the development of complete processing chains. Following three days of talks between South Korea and the five Central Asian states, more than 70 agreements and memoranda were reached or signed covering energy, mineral extraction, infrastructure, technology and investment.

Technological cooperation is becoming another important component of the new partnership. Seoul is proposing to apply its expertise in industrial automation, digitalization, artificial intelligence and resource processing to the modernization of Kazakhstan’s industrial sector. South Korea has also expressed its readiness to support the development of smart infrastructure and the introduction of digital technologies at enterprises across Central Asia.

The expansion of cooperation comes amid South Korea’s broader and growing focus on Central Asia. Seoul is seeking to reduce its dependence on a limited number of suppliers of critical resources while opening new markets for its technologies, capital and industrial products. Against this background, the new comprehensive strategic partnership with Kazakhstan could become one of the key bilateral elements of South Korea’s emerging economic engagement with Central Asia.

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#NEWS

#SOUTH KOREA

16.09.2026 02:54