BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 15. Uzbekistan and
the Korea Export-Import Bank (Korea Eximbank) have backed a new $8
billion partnership program covering projects in critical minerals,
healthcare, transportation, education and digital technologies.


This was reflected in the statement by the press service of the
Uzbek president, following a meeting between Uzbek President
Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Korea Eximbank Chairman Hwang Ki-yeon as
part of the Uzbek president’s state visit to South Korea.


The meeting was also attended by Kwon Yi-gon, president of the
Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), and
Bum Soon Kim, deputy director of the Korea Institute of Materials
Science (KIMS).


The sides highlighted their longstanding cooperation through
Korea Eximbank and its funds in healthcare, pharmaceuticals,
critical materials, education and transport.


Mirziyoyev supported the signing of the new $8 billion
partnership program and called for accelerating projects involving
the supply of high-speed trains, establishment of a Bio Center,
critical-mineral processing and digital technology development.


“Expanding cooperation in critical minerals, advanced materials
and transport infrastructure will create new opportunities for
technological and industrial development in Uzbekistan,” the Uzbek
presidential press service said.







Particular attention was given to establishing a Women’s
Entrepreneurship Center in the Aral Sea region and attracting
Korean financial institutions and companies to the planned
Tashkent-Samarkand railway project.


The sides also welcomed the launch of a joint fund to finance
critical-mineral projects. They proposed preparing a project to
establish a Center for Semiconductor and New Materials Design and
Testing, aimed at strengthening cooperation in advanced materials
and semiconductor technologies.


The meeting emphasized the importance of active participation by
KIGAM and the Korea Institute of Rare Metals in implementing these
initiatives.


The new partnership program adds to a broader expansion of
Uzbekistan-South Korea economic cooperation, with both sides
seeking to move toward higher-value industries, strengthen
critical-mineral supply chains and introduce advanced technologies
into Uzbekistan’s economy.