South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, fourth from left, poses with representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, during the opening ceremony of the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

South Korea hosted the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in Seoul, Monday, focusing on discussing the details of its "K-Silk Road Initiative" with five Central Asian countries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul led the forum, attended by representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

"The five Central Asian countries are key partners in our government's efforts to become a pivotal global nation that contributes to global freedom, peace and prosperity. Last June, based on our long-standing cooperation, we announced the first-ever strategy toward Central Asia, the K-Silk Road Initiative," Cho said in his speech during the opening ceremony.

"Going forward, we plan to further develop this initiative in close partnership with Central Asia, guided by the principles of companionship and creativity."

Cho also called for support in South Korea's efforts to address the threats posed by the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including the North Korean troop deployments in support of Russia's war against Ukraine.

"This illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea prolongs the suffering of innocent Ukrainian citizens and poses a serious security threat to South Korea and the international community," he said. "I hope that our shared efforts for reconciliation and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula and in Central Asia will lead to peace and shared prosperity across the Eurasian continent."

The Yoon Suk Yeol government has been increasing efforts to forge stronger ties with the Central Asian nations, in line with the rising strategic importance of the region, which has rich reserves of natural gas and key minerals including uranium, lithium and tungsten.

In June, the government unveiled the K-Silk Road Initiative, aimed at strengthening partnerships with Central Asia across four key areas: resource development, official development assistance, people-to-people exchange and public-private networking.

As the global supply chain faces growing challenges due to the impact of the Ukraine war and instability in the Middle East, Seoul believes that if South Korea, a technology powerhouse, and Central Asian nations strengthen their cooperation in energy resources, it can bring win-win results for both sides.

During Monday's event, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu expressed his country's commitment to South Korea's initiative.

"Strengthening partnerships with South Korea across multiple fronts is one of Kazakhstan's top policy priorities. We will continue efforts to advance strategic partnerships between our countries within the K-Silk Road framework," Nurtleu said.

Discussions during the forum covered five core topics — supply chains, environment and climate change, digital cooperation and tourism — aimed at fostering collaboration ahead of the inaugural Korea-Central Asia summit, slated for next year in Seoul.

On the sidelines of the forum, Cho held separate meetings with his counterparts from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, where they discussed ways to bolster bilateral ties.