President Yoon Suk Yeol to promote 'K-Silk Road' initiative in 3-nation Central Asian trip

The president is set to visit Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in a six-day trip to promote his diplomatic strategy for the region.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and first lady Kim Keon-hee wave as they enter the presidential jet at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, to head for a state visit to the Netherlands on Dec. 11. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol will begin a six-day, three-country trip on Monday to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, an opportunity to introduce his new "K-Silk Road" initiative, Korea's diplomatic strategy toward the Central Asian region.

He will be accompanied by first lady Kim Keon Hee on the state visits to the three nations, according to the presidential office Friday, as a part of efforts to expand cooperation with the resource-rich region and launch a new summit with five Central Asian countries.

On Monday, Yoon is set to arrive in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, for a two-day visit to hold a bilateral summit with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, take part in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony and attend a state dinner. Yoon will also take part in a business forum attended by companies from both countries the next day.

Turkmenistan has the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves, and measures to increase Korean companies' presence in the energy sector is expected to be discussed during the talks.

For the second leg of his trip, Yoon and Kim will fly to Astana for a three-day state visit to Kazakhstan.

Yoon will meet with ethnic Koreans and Korean residents living in Kazakhstan. He will later attend a dinner to promote friendly ties hosted by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

On Wednesday, Yoon and Tokayev will take part in a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace and hold a bilateral summit to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries. They will then hold an MOU signing ceremony and give a joint press conference afterward. The two leaders will also take part in a Korea-Kazakhstan business forum and cultural events.

Discussions on cooperation in the supply chains of key minerals is expected to be a top priority at this summit as Kazakhstan is an oil-producing country rich in critical minerals such as uranium and chromium.

For the last leg of the trip, the presidential couple will head to Tashkent for a three-day state visit Uzbekistan starting Thursday.

They will take part in a banquet for overseas Koreans later that day.

On Friday, Yoon will hold a summit with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and attend a bilateral business forum. Yoon and Kim will also attend a state dinner hosted by Mirziyoyev.

Yoon's state visit is expected to serve as an opportunity to solidify the special strategic partnership between Korea and Uzbekistan and institutionalize cooperation through the signing of various MOUs.

The two countries have strong ties in the energy and infrastructure sectors and are looking to expand relations to more diverse fields such as supply chains, health care, climate change, education and public administration, according to the presidential office.

Uzbekistan has the largest population among Central Asian countries and is largest market in the region, making it an attractive market and investment destination for Korean companies.

It is also home to the largest Korean diaspora in Central Asia, with some 170,000 ethnic Koreans living there.

The president and first lady will make a visit to the ancient Central Asian city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, a Unesco World Heritage site, and return to Seoul Saturday.

During the visits, Yoon is expected to announce the launch of the new "K-Silk Road" initiative, which seeks to create a new cooperation model linking Korea's innovation capabilities with Central Asia's development potential and abundant resources. It is expected to serve as a blueprint for taking cooperative relations with the Central Asian region, which connects Asia and Europe, to the next level.

The trip "will be the first step to confirm the firm support of Central Asian countries for the K-Silk Road cooperation initiative and to concretely implement it," Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Kim Tae-hyo said in press briefing on Friday.

He said this vision is in line with the joint realization of freedom, peace and prosperity for Korea and Central Asia.

The K-Silk Road initiative is the third regional strategy announced by the Yoon administration following the "Indo-Pacific Strategy," its vision toward the Asia-Pacific region, and the "Korea-Asean Solidarity Initiative," or KASI, tailored toward Southeast Asian countries.

Road serves as an acronym for "Resources, ODA, Accompany and Drive," indicating Korea's drive toward convergence and companionship with the region, while offering official development assistance.

The trip will also help create new business opportunities for Korean companies in energy, critical minerals and other areas and diversify cooperation in new areas, such as climate change response and technology, Kim added.

Yoon plans to establish a summit between Korea and the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit is expected to be held in Seoul next year.

The president's last overseas trip was some six months ago, when he and the first lady made a state visit to the Netherlands last December.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]