▲ Prime Minister Han Seong-sook (R) and Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov shake hands during a meeting in Seoul on Sept. 17, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Seong-sook met with Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov on Thursday and discussed ways to boost trade and exchanges between the two countries.

Japarov was in Seoul for the inaugural South Korea-Central Asia Summit that Seoul launched with five Central Asian nations -- Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan -- to strengthen economic partnerships with the resource-rich region.

During the meeting, Han said she looks forward to mutually beneficial cooperation combining Kyrgyzstan's various mineral resources and South Korea's technological advances. She also congratulated Japarov on Kyrgyzstan's election to the U.N. Security Council as a non-permanent member.

Japarov said Kyrgyzstan's economy has been growing rapidly, at an annual rate of at least 9 percent for the past five years and 12 percent in the first half of this year alone, and the country needs investment, advanced technologies and manufacturing infrastructure for the economy to continue growing.

"We view the Republic of Korea as a key partner with immense potential for cooperation," Japarov said. "We are greatly interested in South Korean companies doing business in Kyrgyzstan on a broader and more sustainable foundation. In particular, we put priority on expanding industrial cooperation, building joint production facilities, and localizing production."

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