Industry ministers from six countries — South Korea and five Central Asian states — met in Seoul for the first time. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, together with the Korean side, agreed to build joint critical minerals supply chains. Lithium and rare earth elements are the main focus.
Until now, Seoul had dealt with each of the five countries separately. Now the talks have shifted to a multilateral format. According to South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, this was the first-ever meeting of department heads from all six countries at once.
The division of roles in the new partnership is clear. Central Asia provides the mineral resource base, while Korea contributes processing technology and finished materials production. Their joint goal is to close the loop from extraction to finished product and reduce dependence on external suppliers.
The second block of negotiations concerned industrial infrastructure. Korean businesses were invited to participate in building industrial complexes, modernizing existing plants, and smart infrastructure projects. Digitalization of manufacturing and training young technical specialists for the region’s countries were also discussed separately.
Bilateral meetings took place alongside the multilateral talks. With Kazakhstan, discussions covered the oil and gas, energy, and mining and metallurgy sectors. With Kyrgyzstan, talks focused on deep raw material processing, industrial parks, transport, and logistics. Tajikistan signed memorandums with Seoul on industrial cooperation and supply chain organization. With the Turkmen delegation, the emphasis was on critical minerals.
The presidents of Uzbekistan and South Korea held a separate meeting. They agreed to develop a financial support mechanism to help Korean companies enter the Uzbek market across six strategic areas, including artificial intelligence, smart cities, and critical minerals.
All participants expressed support for making this dialogue a regular occurrence.
C5+1 turns individual contacts into a system. Central Asia gains access to technology and investment, while Korea gains access to raw materials essential for battery production, electronics, and energy-transition materials. What began as a single meeting could become a long-term platform for the entire region.
Source: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea
Image: Yonhap / Reuters
