'Age of great transformation' demands Silk Road spirit, president says

President Lee Jae Myung delivers an opening address at the first Korea-Central Asia Summit held at a hotel in Seoul on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung delivers an opening address at the first Korea-Central Asia Summit held at a hotel in Seoul on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday presided over the first multilateral summit between South Korea and five Central Asian nations, proposing that both sides expand their cooperation beyond individual bilateral ties to a regional level and together open a new 30-year chapter in an era where economics and security are increasingly intertwined.

Speaking at the opening of the first Korea-Central Asia Summit at a hotel in Seoul, Lee called it "a meaningful day on which the leaders of South Korea and five Central Asian nations have gathered together for the first time," adding that he was "truly glad to be able to discuss a new future and a new vision together."

Lee highlighted the significance of Central Asia's historical experience of integration amid today's compounding global crises. "The world today is entering a true age of great transformation, in which economics and security are closely linked across supply chains, energy, markets and technology," he said. "The 'Silk Road spirit' of Central Asia — which once connected the people, technology and cultures of East and West — is more urgently needed than ever."

Lee also recalled the role of the Koryo-saram diaspora as a historic bond between the two sides. "Some 90 years ago, our Koryo-saram compatriots took root in Central Asia and began serving as a sturdy bridge connecting Korea and Central Asia," he said. "On the foundation of that long historical tie, South Korea and the five Central Asian nations have built a broad relationship of cooperation and trust spanning trade and investment, industry and infrastructure, and education and culture."

He said the time had come to build on more than three decades of accumulated cooperation. "Now, on the foundation of cooperation built over the past 30-plus years, we must prepare together for the new 30 years ahead," Lee said. "The respective strengths of South Korea and Central Asia will offer boundless opportunities to solve each other's challenges together."

Lee particularly stressed the synergy of multilateral regional cooperation beyond individual bilateral partnerships. "Above all, I believe we can further accelerate a future of shared prosperity when our cooperation expands beyond individual nations to the regional level," he said. "I hope today's gathering can serve as an important milestone that leads to a new leap forward, and on behalf of the Korean people, I extend a heartfelt welcome to all of you who have come to South Korea."


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