Korea seeks to build on 'New Northern Policy' at first summit with Central Asian states in September
Published: 12 Feb. 2026, 20:49
![Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Sunday at the ministry building in central Seoul on Oct. 1, 2025. [KIM SANG-SUN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/12/091030fc-76a5-4d70-be8e-9e7f1eca804b.jpg)
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Sunday at the ministry building in central Seoul on Oct. 1, 2025. [KIM SANG-SUN]
Korea will host its first summit with Central Asian countries later this year, marking another opportunity to expand its diplomacy with the region, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
The summit between Korea and the five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan — will take place on Sept. 16 and 17, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said during a summit preparatory meeting.
Cho said the summit will serve as an important occasion for Korea to expand its diplomatic horizon through continued efforts to build on the "New Northern Policy," the ministry said.
The New Northern Policy was an initiative of the former liberal Moon Jae-in government aimed at enhancing cooperation with Central Asian countries under the vision of peace and joint prosperity in Eurasia.
Cho noted that the summit will not only strengthen mutual cooperation with Central Asian nations but also lay the groundwork for collaboration in areas such as supply chain diversification and better addressing ethnic Korean communities in the region.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)