First visit in 11 years — rail cooperation, antimony and other critical mineral supply chains take center stage

Korea Desk to open in Tajikistan; Rahmon voices full support for peaceful resolution on Korean Peninsula

President Lee Jae Myung and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon pose for a photo before their summit at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon pose for a photo before their summit at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung held a summit with visiting Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on Wednesday and elevated bilateral ties to a "comprehensive partnership" for the first time. The two countries agreed to push ahead with railway and transportation infrastructure development and critical mineral supply chain cooperation, signing a total of 17 agreements and MOUs.

Cheong Wa Dae communications chief Seong Gi-hong announced in a written briefing that Lee met Rahmon, who was in Seoul for the first Korea-Central Asia Summit. The meeting marked the two leaders' first face-to-face talks since a phone call last August, and Rahmon's first visit to South Korea in 11 years.

Building on 34 years of friendly cooperation since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, the leaders formally elevated the bilateral relationship to a "comprehensive partnership." They agreed to significantly broaden the scope of exchanges — previously centered on development cooperation — to cover trade and investment, railway and transportation infrastructure, critical minerals, AI and digital transformation, climate change response, and people-to-people exchanges.

Lee said South Korea was paying close attention to Tajikistan's strengths and growth potential, citing its geographic advantage as a bridge between Central and Southwest Asia, its abundant mineral resources, and its young, dynamically growing population. He pledged active cooperation to support Tajikistan's economic development, including industrial upgrading. Rahmon responded by identifying "accelerating industrialization and job creation" as his country's core development priorities, saying he looked forward to "actively pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation with South Korea, a trusted partner."

To improve connectivity for the landlocked, mountainous nation, the two sides signed a railway MOU and agreed to share railway policy, technology and experience while training specialized personnel. They also agreed to build a mutually beneficial critical mineral supply chain by linking South Korea's exploration and development expertise with Tajikistan's rich mineral resources, including antimony.

The two sides also put in place institutional safeguards to support South Korean companies entering the Tajik market. They agreed to strengthen cooperation between KOTRA and Tajikistan's export agency and to establish a Korea Desk — a dedicated communication channel for South Korean businesses operating locally — to actively address companies' difficulties. In addition, South Korea will share its administrative know-how across areas including customs, intellectual property, civil service personnel management and capacity development, anti-corruption, and anti-money laundering, while a standing security cooperation channel will be set up to jointly tackle transnational crime.

On the Korean Peninsula situation, Rahmon said he "fully understands the importance of the Korean Peninsula issue and fully supports a resolution through peaceful means, including dialogue."

In the presence of both leaders, the two countries signed a total of 17 agreements and MOUs covering railway and transportation infrastructure, trade expansion, digital technology and smart grids, forest restoration, education, industrial safety and health, and public administration cooperation.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com