By UN Journal Kayla Lee

Minister Bae Kyung-hoon of the Ministry of Science and ICT met with Kazakhstan's Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, in Seoul on September 11 to discuss measures to expand bilateral cooperation in science and technology, including artificial intelligence.

Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, Kazakhstan has actively engaged with Korea across diverse fields including politics, economy, society, culture, and education, building on multiple rounds of summit diplomacy.

In particular, it actively cultivates talent through inter-state exchanges utilizing the ‘Bolashak’ scholarship program. With abundant reserves of key mineral resources such as rare earth elements, Kazakhstan is an important partner for South Korea in the international community.

During this meeting, discussions focused on establishing the ‘Kazakhstan Academy of Science and Technology (Kaz-AIST)’ within Kazakhstan to serve as a hub for personnel exchange between the two countries. Cooperation and support measures were also discussed, including joint research and development and personnel exchange in the field of rare metals.

Furthermore, they agreed to promote and participate in joint events to enhance science and technology cooperation between the two countries, linked to the upcoming Korea-Central Asia Summit scheduled for 2026.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to use this meeting as an opportunity to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries and, furthermore, to proactively establish a model for science and technology cooperation with the Central Asian region.

In this context, the ‘Korea-Central Asia Science and Technology Cooperation Center’ was established last July, and cooperation between Korea and Central Asian countries is now being actively pursued.

Minister Bae stated, “Kazakhstan is a resource-rich nation with rapid economic growth among Central Asian countries. Close cooperation in science, technology, and ICT will enable both nations to simultaneously enhance national competitiveness and achieve innovative growth,” emphasizing, “We will actively support cooperation between Korea and Kazakhstan.”