Korea and Uzbekistan Expand Cooperation to High-Speed Rail, AI, and Defense... 13 Agreements and MOUs Signed

Feasibility Study Begins for Eight High-Speed Train Sets and Biom Center with EDCF Support
Financial Backing for Six Strategic Sectors, Including Key Minerals and AI
KAI Signs Defense Industry Contract

President Lee Jaemyung and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan have expanded the scope of bilateral economic cooperation to include high-speed rail, biotechnology, manufacturing artificial intelligence (AI), critical minerals, and defense industries during their summit meeting on September 14. The two nations agreed to begin feasibility studies for the introduction of eight high-speed trains in Uzbekistan and the establishment of a national genome and biobank initiative. They also decided to establish a financial cooperation framework that will support Korean companies entering six major strategic sectors in Uzbekistan, such as critical minerals, AI, and smart cities.

President Lee Jae-myung and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan shake hands ahead of an expanded summit meeting at the Blue House on September 14, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

Under the witness of the two leaders, a total of 13 agreements, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), and contracts were signed and exchanged on the same day. The scope of cooperation was also broadened beyond the economic and industrial sectors to include education, tourism, agriculture, intellectual property, medical products, forestry, and climate response.

The central agreement is the “MOU on the introduction of eight high-speed trains and the establishment of the Uzbekistan National Genome and Biobank Biom Center.” Both countries will launch feasibility studies (F/S) for both the high-speed train initiative and the Biom Center project, utilizing the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). Based on the results of these studies, the aim is to specify the project scope and support Korean companies in entering the local transportation and public health infrastructure markets.

Institutional arrangements linking Uzbekistan’s industrial advancement to market entry by Korean companies have also been prepared. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade signed an “MOU on Manufacturing AI Transformation (AX) Cooperation,” promising to pursue technology cooperation, knowledge sharing, workforce development, infrastructure expansion, and business exchanges. The objective is to broaden digital manufacturing collaboration to encompass AI-based manufacturing innovation, enhancing the competitiveness of both nations’ manufacturing industries.

The Export-Import Bank of Korea and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade also signed an “MOU on Establishing a Strategic Project Discovery System.” Both parties will jointly identify and develop promising projects in six of Uzbekistan’s national strategic sectors: critical minerals, AI and data centers, smart cities, industrial complexes exclusively for Korean businesses, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, and food, beauty, and content industries.

They are also jointly considering financial support methods such as project finance and commercial finance. By sharing information about Uzbekistan’s strategic industrial projects and linking financing mechanisms, the goal is to lay the groundwork for Korean companies to participate from the early stages of these projects.

Specific progress has also been made in the area of defense industry cooperation. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Uztechtrade signed a contract to strengthen defense industry cooperation. Although specific terms of the contract were not disclosed, both countries intend to continue expanding collaboration in the defense industry sector.

Efforts to improve the local business environment for Korean companies were also included. The Korea Customs Service and its Uzbek counterpart signed an MOU for protecting intellectual property rights at the border, promising to block counterfeit key brand goods, conduct joint crackdowns on goods suspected of intellectual property infringement, and enhance customs officers’ capabilities.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office also revised its 2019 MOU with Uzbekistan to fit the AI and digital environment, expanding cooperation on policy, legal and institutional exchanges, anti-counterfeiting, examination efficiency, and collaboration in informatization and digitalization. The goal is to improve the intellectual property protection environment within Uzbekistan and support Korean companies’ entry into the market.

In the medical and bio fields, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and its Uzbekistan counterpart signed an MOU on cooperation in medical product regulation. Through information exchange and regulatory harmonization between the two agencies, both countries will proactively address non-tariff barriers and support the entry of domestic pharmaceutical and biotech firms into the Central Asian market.

President Lee Jae-myung and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan are holding an expanded summit at the Blue House on September 14, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

The two countries also signed a prisoner transfer treaty and a protocol to amend the Basic Agreement on Grant Aid. In the field of grant aid, procedures will be streamlined to allow project implementation without supplementary agreements, and execution of aid projects will be enhanced on the ground through the local office of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

In education, both parties agreed to expand exchanges among institutions, teachers, and students, and to cooperate in including the Korean language as an official subject in the Olympiad hosted by the Uzbek government. Human exchanges and technological cooperation will also be extended in tourism and agriculture sectors.

In climate and environment, both sides will cooperate on digital forestry management using satellites and information and communications technology (ICT), forest ecosystem restoration, and responses to forest disasters. They will also jointly address transboundary environmental issues faced by Central Asia, such as the desertification of the Aral Sea and water resource problems.

The signing of these agreements and MOUs is significant in that, ahead of the first Korea-Central Asia Summit scheduled for September 16, economic cooperation between Korea and Uzbekistan has expanded from a trade-focused relationship to include advanced industries, infrastructure, finance, and defense sector collaboration. The government aims to use Uzbekistan as a hub to expand the foundation for Korean companies to enter Central Asia in strategic sectors such as critical minerals, AI, and biotechnology.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.