Anchor: President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Kyrgyz counterpart, Sadyr Japarov, met in Seoul and decided to elevate bilateral ties to the status of a comprehensive partnership. This is the first time in 32 years that South Korea and Kyrgyzstan have upgraded their relationship, since they first established diplomatic relations after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov have agreed to upgrade bilateral relations between the two nations and forge a comprehensive partnership.

After a summit in Seoul on Tuesday, they adopted a joint statement proclaiming the start of this new partnership between a tech powerhouse and a resource-rich Central Asian state. 

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)]
“Our government is paying attention to the strategic significance of Central Asia bridging Asia and Europe. In June of this year, we have introduced the K-Silk Road initiative, Korea’s first Central Asia-specific foreign policy strategy. According to the initiative, we would like to drastically improve relations with the Kyrgyz Republic, which is our key partner in Central Asia.”   

[Sound bite: President of Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov (Kyrgyz-English)]
“I would like to once again express my gratitude for my official visit to this beautiful Republic of Korea. I would like to strengthen our traditional friendly ties with you during my visit. I would like to exchange ideas to deepen our cooperation in various areas.” 

South Korea and Kyrgyzstan officially established diplomatic ties in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

During Tuesday’s talks, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation on energy, renewable energy, and supply chains for critical minerals. 

The Yoon administration has been working toward tighter relations with Central Asian nations, which are rich in natural gas and the critical minerals needed for battery production. 

Seoul unveiled what it calls the K-Silk Road initiative in June in an effort to prevent supply chain disruptions amid the war in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East.

During the summit, Japarov also expressed support for Yoon’s efforts to push for the denuclearization of North Korea. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.