President Lee to Hold Successive Summits With Turkmen and Kazakh Leaders... Elevates Strategic Partnership With Kazakhstan

Second Day of Central Asia Summit Diplomacy
State Hospitality for Both Leaders
13 Agreements and MOUs Signed with Turkmenistan
Expanded Cooperation with Kazakhstan in Economic Security
and Advanced Industries

On September 15, President Lee Jae-myung will meet consecutively with the leaders of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, marking the second day of his summit diplomacy with Central Asian countries. Of note, South Korea and Kazakhstan will elevate their bilateral relationship to a "future-oriented comprehensive strategic partnership" for the first time in 17 years, and will begin to significantly expand cooperation in economic security sectors such as critical minerals and advanced industries.

President Lee Jae-myung is greeting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev after the state banquet held at the Blue House to welcome the President of Uzbekistan on September 14, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

According to a written briefing by Kang Yoo-jung, Chief Presidential Spokesperson, President Lee will host Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as state guests, conducting official events that include summit meetings as well as luncheons and dinners.

First, President Lee will hold summit talks with President Berdimuhamedov to discuss future-oriented development of bilateral relations, ways to expand substantive cooperation, and regional and international situations. Immediately following the meeting, a total of 13 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between the two governments will be exchanged in the presence of both leaders.

Following the summit, a state luncheon will take place with around 50 dignitaries from both countries. The Blue House has prepared authentic Korean cuisine, paying special attention to President Berdimuhamedov’s preferences and the harmonious blend of both countries’ culinary cultures. President Lee will present President Berdimuhamedov, who enjoys horseback riding, with a "Chilbo framed mural of the Goguryeo hunting scene" recreated using the traditional Korean Chilbo technique.

In the afternoon, President Lee will hold a summit meeting with President Tokayev of Kazakhstan. The two leaders are set to focus discussions on future cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, energy and critical minerals, artificial intelligence (AI) and science and technology, as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges. With this summit, the bilateral relationship will be elevated from the existing "strategic partnership" to a "future-oriented comprehensive strategic partnership"—the first upgrade since establishing a strategic partnership in 2009, marking 17 years since that milestone.

The Blue House expects that, through this upgrade in relations, strategic cooperation will expand beyond trade and investment to include economic security initiatives such as critical mineral supply chains, advanced industries, and science and technology. Following the summit, a ceremony will be held with both leaders present to exchange a total of 13 MOUs between the two governments. Subsequently, a state dinner will be hosted with around 50 dignitaries from both countries in attendance.

President Lee has prepared gifts for President Tokayev, considering his fondness for table tennis and the fact that Kazakhstan is scheduled to host the 2027 World Taekwondo Championships: a premium table tennis racket and a taekwondo uniform emblazoned with the national flags of both countries.

Meanwhile, to mark the state visits of the two leaders, the government will display the South Korean flag and each visiting country’s national flag on the Lotte Tower media facade and the outdoor electronic billboards of the Seoul Government Complex, broadcasting welcome messages in Korean, Turkmen, and Kazakh.

At the official welcoming ceremony, about 70 members of the traditional honor guard and marching band will escort the leaders’ vehicles from the entrance to the Blue House. After that, 280 personnel from the armed forces honor guard will be lined up, and a children’s welcoming party of 30—including 10 children from each country—will greet the heads of state.

On September 16, President Lee is scheduled to chair the inaugural Korea–Central Asia Summit, attended by the leaders of all five Central Asian countries, where he will discuss the establishment of a summit-level multilateral cooperation system and ways to expand collaboration on critical minerals, energy, and advanced industries.

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