Seoul: South Korea and Kazakhstan have agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, focusing on cooperation in crude oil and nuclear power, as announced by Seoul's presidential office. This agreement was established during a summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Seoul, ahead of the first South Korea-Central Asia Summit.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the leaders agreed to build on diplomatic relations established in 1992 and a strategic partnership formed in 2009, by expanding cooperation into economic security, advanced industries, and people-to-people exchanges. The two governments signed 13 intergovernmental agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs), covering areas such as crude oil, nuclear power, and energy.
A key agreement includes a basic pact on crude oil cooperation, focusing on Kazakh crude oil supplies, geological exploration, and oil and gas field development. Kazakhstan, being Central Asia's largest oil producer, provides crude through routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz, offering South Korea a chance to diversify its oil import sources.
The agreement follows South Korea's efforts in April to secure 18 million barrels of Kazakh crude oil. In the nuclear sector, two agreements were signed for joint research and development on nuclear power, nuclear safety, and stable fuel supplies, which will support South Korean companies in new nuclear projects in Kazakhstan.
The partnership is poised to strengthen nuclear fuel supply chains with Kazakhstan, a leading uranium producer, and expand bilateral nuclear ties. The leaders also agreed to broaden cooperation into future growth areas like artificial intelligence, science and technology, and clean energy.
Tokayev expressed support for South Korean businesses in Kazakhstan, proposing the designation of the first deputy prime minister as a "Korea desk." The discussions also covered enhancing people-to-people exchanges and preserving Korean independence movement sites in Kazakhstan.
President Tokayev invited President Lee for a state visit to Kazakhstan next year, with plans to set a date through diplomatic channels.