The article co-authored with Aziza Saginbaeva, Research Intern at IAIS, examines how the inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung in June 2025 has marked a shift in South Korea’s foreign policy from the value-oriented and geopolitically ambitious approach of the previous administration towards a more pragmatic strategy centred on national interests and economic security.

The article argues that Central Asia is no longer treated as an autonomous geopolitical priority under Seoul’s revised foreign policy framework. Instead, the region is increasingly viewed through the lens of resource diplomacy, supply-chain resilience and access to strategically important raw materials. Particular attention is given to South Korea’s need to diversify its imports of rare earth elements and critical minerals following China’s tightening of export controls and the resulting disruption of supplies to Korean industries.

According to the authors, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are well positioned to benefit from this transformation by expanding cooperation with South Korea in geological exploration, mineral extraction, advanced processing technologies and long-term supply arrangements. The article also notes that Seoul’s less confrontational approach towards China may create additional diplomatic flexibility for Central Asian governments, allowing them to deepen cooperation with South Korea without being compelled to make politically sensitive choices between competing external powers.

The forthcoming Korea–Central Asia Summit in 2026 is presented as an important test of the sustainability of these relations. The authors conclude that Central Asian states should move beyond broad political declarations and offer concrete cooperation packages in lithium, uranium, rare earth elements and other critical resources. By becoming structurally integrated into South Korea’s technological and economic security architecture, the region could secure long-term Korean investment, diversify its international partnerships and strengthen its position within an increasingly competitive geopolitical environment.

Read on the website of Seoul Institute of Global Affairs (SIGA)

* The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) does not take institutional positions on any issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IAIS.