▲ President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with his key aides at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2026. (Pool Photo) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- Seoul will host the first South Korea-Central Asia Summit next week to discuss cooperation with the region in areas including critical minerals, energy sources and the diversification of global supply chains, the presidential office said Friday.

The inaugural event, set for Wednesday, will bring together the heads of state of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, under the theme, "direction for South Korea-Central Asia cooperation and partnership for strengthening innovation, prosperity and connectivity."

Through the summit, the government will seek to diversify global supply chains by combining the region's rich reserves of critical minerals and energy resources with South Korea's exploration and processing skills, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.

It will also work to help South Korean firms expand into the region by facilitating cooperation tailored to participating countries' respective infrastructure and plant needs, while seeking cooperation in customs, regulations and intellectual property rights, according to Kang.

In addition, Seoul will seek to secure the region's support for issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and in dealing with transnational crimes, such as terrorism, drugs and cybercrimes.

The spokesperson highlighted that the summit will mark South Korea's first multilateral leader-level meeting with Central Asian countries and serve as an important starting point for the country in expanding its diplomatic horizons into the region, whose strategic significance is growing amid global security uncertainties.

Going forward, the government will seek to expand South Korea's cooperation with the region, which currently is concentrated on resources and infrastructure, to artificial intelligence, science technology, climate change response and other advanced industries.

On the occasion of the summit, the government will also upgrade its cooperation framework with the region from the current ministerial level to the summit level, while unveiling a "Seoul Declaration" presenting a long-term vision for cooperation and establishing a fresh framework for multilateral cooperation.

As part of the gathering, President Lee Jae Myung will hold a one-on-one summit with the Uzbek leader on Monday, followed by separate summit meetings with the leaders of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan on Tuesday and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan the following day.

Following Wednesday's summit, Lee will attend a business summit with the five visiting heads of state to help deepen economic networks between South Korean and Central Asian business leaders and explore ways to strengthen cooperation, Kang said.

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