Mirziyoyev made the remarks at the first Central Asia – Republic of Korea Business Summit, where he welcomed the fact that the "Central Asia – Korea" format is now reaching a qualitatively new level.
President Mirziyoyev placed particular emphasis on industrial cooperation and building complete production chains in Central Asia around each country's raw materials — noting that Uzbekistan alone sits on mineral resources worth at least $3 trillion. In the critical minerals sector, the country plans to launch 120 projects worth more than $4 billion over the coming years, the presidential press service said.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed pairing the region's resource base with Korea's financial and technological know-how, with a focus on deep processing and the production of finished high-tech goods. He also pointed to joint research, the adoption of advanced technologies, and personnel training as key areas of cooperation, and suggested bringing Korean companies, universities, and research centers into the region to build a unified partnership for developing new products and intellectual property.
Artificial intelligence drew particular attention, with the potential to add at least $10 billion in value to each country's economy within five years. To that end, the country has set up an AI data center hub in Karakalpakstan offering generous incentives, and Korean companies were invited to invest in the sector.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev highlighted the potential for cooperation in semiconductor and microelectronics production, pointing to a new joint Center for Semiconductor Design and Testing, Industrial Microelectronics, and New Materials now taking shape at the Future Technologies Center in Nurafshan.
“Uzbekistan is ready to create favorable conditions for Korean and Central Asian companies to establish research and development units and laboratories”, the statement reads.
Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals also hold real promise, with Uzbekistan's market for medicines and medical products already worth $3 billion. President Mirziyoyev proposed creating a biopharmaceutical cluster that brings together research, clinical facilities and production, with the main focus on training specialists — including a unified regional program to train engineers and send them on internships to Korean laboratories and leading companies.
Korean companies were invited to take on projects across a wide range of sectors — from copper processing and electrical equipment production to localizing components for the automotive and EV industries, robotics and automation, biotech and pharmaceuticals, hydropower, energy storage, modernizing energy networks, and building out transport and urban infrastructure.
