South Korea and Kazakhstan to Strengthen Cooperation in Crude Oil Supply, Nuclear Power, and More

Upgrading to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

South Korea and Kazakhstan are set to strengthen cooperation in a wide range of fields including crude oil supply and nuclear power.

President Lee Jae-myung is taking a commemorative photo with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, who visited Korea as a state guest on the 15th at the Blue House. Photo by Yonhap News

The governments of the two countries signed a total of 13 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between government ministries on September 15, in conjunction with a summit between President Lee Jae-myung and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

First, the governments of South Korea and Kazakhstan signed a document elevating bilateral relations to a “future-oriented comprehensive strategic partnership.”

Through the “Basic Agreement on Crude Oil Cooperation,” the two countries agreed to cooperate on the supply of Kazakhstani crude oil, geological exploration and the development of oil and gas fields, preparing for and responding to global crude oil supply disruptions, and joint research and human resource development in the petrochemical sector.

The government expects that it will be able to strengthen practical cooperation in all areas of the crude oil industry value chain in Kazakhstan—including oil field development and petrochemicals—on equal, mutually beneficial, and economically efficient terms.

Cooperation in the field of nuclear power will also be strengthened. In particular, under an MOU on “Establishing Cooperation in the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy,” the two sides agreed to collaborate on joint research and development (R&D) of nuclear power plants and small modular reactors (SMRs), exchange information on nuclear industry policy, provide technical support for nuclear and radiation safety, and cooperate in training and technical exchanges for scientists and engineers.

An additional MOU on the “Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy” was also signed, with the aim of ensuring the stability of nuclear fuel supply chains, sharing experiences and information on nuclear programs and safety, and working together on nuclear research and workforce development.

Furthermore, other MOUs were signed to support areas such as battery energy storage systems, infrastructure for power system stabilization, development and modernization of transmission and distribution networks, establishment of clean hydrogen and ammonia value chains, creation of a friendly, transparent, and predictable investment environment, and joint R&D in renewable energy.

The two governments also signed MOUs to cooperate on the permanent preservation and management of historic sites related to Korea’s independence movement in Kazakhstan, joint academic research, intellectual property (IP) protection and anti-counterfeiting measures, forest restoration and climate response, and enhanced cooperation on urban development.

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