“Korea, a ‘technology powerhouse,’ and Central Asia, a ‘resource-rich country’ and a geopolitical hub, are each other’s best cooperation partners. “It is urgent to establish a permanent consultative body to strengthen public-private exchanges between the two sides.”
This is what the people from Korea and major Central Asian countries who attended the ‘2024 Korean Peninsula-Northern Cultural Strategy Forum: Search for transnational solidarity as great power competition returns’ held on the 7th.
Held at the Orchid Room of the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, the forum was attended by Wang Yun-jong, 3rd Deputy Director of the National Security Office, Ambassador to Korea Tamer Salih Murat Turkiye, Mongolian Ambassador to Korea Sukhbald Suhe, Uzbek Ambassador to Korea Abdusalomov Alisher, and Arstanov Nuggali. Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Korea, Ambassador of Tajikistan to Korea Kirom Salohitdin, Ambassador of Kyrgyz Republic to Korea Ismailova Aida, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Korea Hasanov Ramin, Ambassador of Georgia to Korea Papascua Taras, Director of Northeast and Central Asia Kang Young-shin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director of the National Security Strategy Institute Han Seok-hee, UNESCO Asia-Pacific. In attendance were the Secretary General of the Intangible Heritage Center, Jeong Tae-in, former Ambassador to Turkmenistan and member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Diplomatic Archives Compilation Committee, and Kang Jun-young, Director of the International Area Studies Center at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Head of the HK+ National Strategy Project Division.
Deputy Director Wang, who was the keynote speaker, urged strengthening solidarity with northern countries such as Central Asia, saying, “We will create a new cooperation model in Eurasia by linking Korea’s innovative capabilities with Central Asia’s potential.” This means that a great synergy effect can be created by combining Korea’s developed information technology (IT) industry with major Central Asian countries possessing crude oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium.
Professor Kang also emphasized, “The importance of multilateral consultative bodies is growing more than ever due to the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, and the hegemony conflict between the United States and China,” and added, “Cooperation with Central Asia is essential for establishing stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula.” . To this end, he urged the urgent need to foster domestic researchers specializing in Central Asia.
Eldor Aripov, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and director of the Strategic Regional Research Institute under the President of Uzbekistan, selected response to the climate crisis and population crisis as specific areas in which the two sides will cooperate. This means that parts of Central Asia are suffering from desertification and water shortage due to severe climate change, and Korea, which has successfully developed water resources, can provide a lot of help. Likewise, Korea, which is suffering from rapid aging and economic population shortage, also advised that this problem can be solved through young skilled workers from Central Asia. It was expected that the presence of Koryo people scattered throughout Central Asia during the former Soviet Union would also serve as a positive factor in accelerating cooperation between the two sides.
Allua Zoldvalina, deputy director of the Strategic Research Institute under the President of Kazakhstan, also suggested urban planning, e-sports, financial securities trading, and cultural and creative industries as major areas of cooperation between the two countries. In major Central Asian countries, various problems caused by overpopulation are serious, with more than half of the population living in a few large cities. It was expected that Korea, which successfully implemented smart cities in Sejong and Songdo, would be able to provide a lot of advice on urban planning. It is expected that Korea will also enjoy many benefits through cooperation with Central Asia, which has been a major global logistics transportation route since the Silk Road era.
The ‘Korean Peninsula-Northern Cultural Strategy Forum’ was launched in 2021 to continue the northern policy, and the forum is held every year. The theme of this year’s forum is ‘Facing a New Era: Searching for Transnational Solidarity under the Return of Great Power Competition.’
Reporter Ha Jeong-min [email protected]
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