Prospects for cooperation between Kazakhstan and Republic of Korea

Q-How important is the Asian vector for Kazakhstan?

A-Asia is currently the best region in the world in many ways. Asian countries make, export, and consume more goods than any other region of the world. Moreover, Asia is a self-sufficient part of the world, and countries in this region trade and cooperate more than in North America or Europe.
Asian countries account for 40% of the world's GDP. We can now say that Asia is dictating the trend of economic development. The world's largest economies, a significant number of banks, large military forces, large financial centers, a significant part of the world's trade reserves, and modern and innovative institutions are located in Asia.
Asia is also home to the 20 most populous countries. In addition, the region is home to 60% of the world's population, 10 times more people than Europe, and 12 times more people than North America. 
Therefore, the role of Asian countries in world politics, including international organizations such as the United Nations, is expected to increase.
Entering the Asian market is one of Kazakhstan's strategic priorities. Our country is already actively developing relations with almost all Asian countries.
South Korea and other major Asian countries are Kazakhstan's main trading partners. Last year, bilateral trade was worth more than $6 billion. This is more than twice as much as in 2021.
In the context of global politics, cooperation with Asian countries allows Kazakhstan to expand political contacts and find support in international organizations and regional initiatives. We are grateful for the support of the Republic of Korea for our bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Q-What do South Korea and Kazakhstan have in common?

A-Kazakhstan, like the Republic of Korea, is a middle power known for its pragmatic diplomacy in the international agenda. This means that our countries are interested first and foremost in promoting friendly and mutually beneficial relations with all countries. In other words, we do not make economic decisions for political reasons.
Kazakhstan bases its foreign policy solely on its own national interests, including economic interests. Our priority is always the prosperity of our people, and therefore it is of utmost importance to maintain internal and external stability to build strong and reliable foreign economic relations.
We are on the same page with the United States, the EU, Latin America, and Central Asia in developing cooperation in various fields.
Kazakhstan's and South Korea's commitment to nuclear nonproliferation policy is noteworthy. Like Kazakhstan, South Korea supports a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue. Kazakhstan supports South Korea's policies aimed at achieving peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

Q-Why is cooperation with South Korea important and what areas of cooperation do you see as most promising?

A- South Korea is a high-tech economy in the G-20. The country has developed dynamically in various sectors such as automobiles, semiconductors, and machinery, showing a high level of competitiveness. The country is particularly advanced in the field of information technology (IT).
In this regard, Kazakhstan and our region as a whole have a great interest in South Korea. Now Kazakhstan is faced with the task of creating a diversified economy. To this end, the country is pursuing a political transformation that will pave the way for economic transformation.
The Republic of Korea, in turn, is showing a lot of interest in our region. So far, five "Korea-Central Asia" foreign ministerial forums have been held, which allow us to strengthen our strategic partnership and deepen cooperation in various sectors of the economy.
For example, at the last forum in Busan, issues of deepening cooperation in the fields of healthcare, ecology, tourism, digital cooperation and economic security were discussed.
For our countries, the development of the innovative sphere of the economy is of strategic importance. The most promising areas for cooperation are mechanics, green energy and IT industries. All of these industries require a high level of human potential.
Today, human capital plays an important role, and our country needs to improve its human capital by improving the quality of education and expanding opportunities for employment in companies with advanced technologies. Therefore, Kazakhstan is deeply interested in attracting Korean technology and capital.
Currently, more than 500 joint ventures with Korean capital are operating in our country. There are 60 co-investment projects totaling $5 billion between our countries. In addition, South Korea is one of Kazakhstan's most important economic partners and ranks sixth in terms of investment volume.

Q- What is it about Korea that might be interesting to Kazakhs?

A- In fact, Kazakhs are very close to Koreans. The high popularity of Korean dramas among Kazakhs is an example. The reason for this is that Kazakh culture and mentality are close to Korean. Showing respect to elders and guests, closeness to family are common to our peoples. Kazakh and Korean belong to the same Ural-Altaic language family and are grammatically close.
Our young people have recently shown great interest in Korean pop culture. Korean food and automobile industry are very popular among Kazakhs.
It is considered prestigious for Kazakh students to study in Korean universities. Many health workers also consider the Korean healthcare system to be advanced and travel to South Korea to share experiences and acquire new skills.
The Kazakh professional community is very interested in Korea's experience in economic development. South Korea is a leader in many fields not only in Asia but also in the world. For Kazakhstan, Korea is a prominent example in economic terms. We are interested in its approach to achieving significant results in the economy.
Therefore, events such as bilateral expert seminars are becoming a reality.