Industry ministry launches first C5+1 industrial ministers meeting with Central Asia

The industry ministry convened the first joint meeting of industrial ministers from South Korea and five Central Asian nations on Monday, bringing together counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to coordinate responses to shifting global trade dynamics.

While bilateral channels have existed previously, this session marked the first time all five Central Asian industrial ministers assembled simultaneously. The six nations pledged to strengthen collaboration across three core areas: expanding trade and upgrading industrial infrastructure, building secure critical mineral supply chains, and fostering technology exchange alongside future workforce development.

Participants agreed to increase Korean participation in complex industrial complexes, smart infrastructure projects and plant modernization efforts currently underway in Central Asia. The dialogue focused on combining the region's abundant resources, such as lithium and rare earth elements, with South Korea's advanced processing and material technologies to establish a full-cycle supply network extending from raw material extraction to finished product manufacturing. Plans also include expanding downstream value chain cooperation through local refining and high-value-added material processing.

In the technology sector, the ministers sought to combine South Korea's smart factory and manufacturing AI data capabilities with Central Asia's industrial potential to support the smart transformation of local factories. This initiative aims to accelerate the local expansion of Korean manufacturing facilities and technology while activating exchanges of young technical talent to lead future industries.

Minister Kim Jung-kwan opened the session by invoking the pioneering spirit of historical Eurasian caravans. "Let us jointly pioneer a new path toward a new advanced industrial ecosystem that leverages Korea's advanced technology and manufacturing capabilities as a catalyst for Central Asia's huge growth potential to drive a greater leap forward for Eurasia," he said.

"Just as the Central Asian saying goes, 'If you go alone, it is a long way; but if you go with good friends, even a long way becomes close,'" Kim said. "I hope this industrial ministers meeting will take root as a platform for win-win cooperation that discovers and creates substantial projects that companies and people in each country can feel."