South Korea and Central Asian Nations Adopt 30‑Year Seoul Declaration on Minerals, Energy and AI
At a multilateral summit in Seoul, President Lee Jae Myung and the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan adopted the Seoul Declaration, setting a 30‑year agenda for deeper ties. The declaration establishes a biennial leaders’ summit and a C5+1 Industrial Ministers’ Consultative Mechanism to guide cooperation across partnership, peace, prosperity and people‑to‑people exchanges. It highlights integrated supply chains for critical minerals, joint energy projects and collaborative development in artificial intelligence, digital transformation and climate resilience. In parallel bilateral meetings, South Korea and Uzbekistan signed 13 accords covering high‑speed trains, a Rare Metals Center and AI manufacturing innovation, while other partners discussed railways, minerals and digital technology projects.
Why it matters
The agreement links Central Asia’s abundant mineral resources with South Korea’s expertise in AI and energy, influencing future supply chains and technology collaboration.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage frames the summit primarily as a strategic boost to the New Northern Policy and multilateral cooperation, while centrist coverage emphasizes the historic trade, security and investment dimensions, highlighting concrete economic figures and resource-security goals.
LEFT
The summit is presented as a strategic expansion of the New Northern Policy that will turn bilateral ties into a full-scale multilateral cooperation system, stressing Central Asia’s geopolitical importance and growth potential.
CENTER
The summit is portrayed as a historic step toward deeper trade, security and investment cooperation, underscoring $10 billion-plus trade, critical-mineral supply chains and broader Eurasian stability.
The left emphasises
- boost New Northern Policy
- full-scale multilateral cooperation system
- Central Asia as the geopolitical heart of Eurasia rich in energy and critical minerals
How this story developed
- Sep 8 Xi and Putin send congratulatory letters to Kim, pledging deeper ties on North Korea's anniversary
- Sep 10 President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory message pledging deeper ties with North Korea.
- Sep 11 President Lee Jae-myung announced that the Korea-Central Asia summit on the 16th will solidify multilateral cooperation and give new momentum to South Korea’s New Northern Policy.
- Sep 11 North Korea launched an unidentified projectile toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korean defence officials.
- Sep 12 South Korea held an emergency security meeting in response to the missile launch.
- Sep 13 North Korea staged a firepower strike drill featuring missiles and drones.
- Sep 15 EU official Cosmin Dobran warned the North Korea‑Russia partnership will likely outlast the Ukraine war.
- Sep 16 The Seoul Declaration formalizes a 30‑year agenda linking Central Asian mineral resources with South Korean AI and energy projects.
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