Seoul: Trade officials from South Korea and Uzbekistan have discussed pending issues between the two countries, including cooperation in critical minerals and advanced industries, ahead of the inaugural Korea-Central Asia summit meeting planned to take place in September, Seoul's trade ministry said Tuesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Bae Jun-hyoung, director general for international trade relations, was visiting Uzbekistan to meet with Tashkent's vice minister of investment, industry and trade, and the head of the Uzbekistan Fund for Reconstruction and Development in Tashkent.

At the talks, Bae discussed ways to expand cooperation in critical minerals, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital manufacturing between Korea and the Central Asian nation. Bae also called for Uzbekistan's support for bilateral cooperation projects in supply chains and advanced industries, the ministry said.