South Korea, Kazakhstan Sign Nuclear Energy MoU, Eye Critical Minerals

South Korea and Kazakhstan signed a memorandum of understanding on the peaceful use of nuclear energy on Tuesday, as President Lee Jae Myung and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met in Seoul and pledged broader cooperation on trade, energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.

The atomic energy accord was one of 13 documents signed during the talks, which also covered crude oil and science and technology cooperation. Further details of the agreements were not immediately available.

According to the South Korean presidential office, Lee described Kazakhstan as a key partner for South Korea with substantial potential in future high-tech industries. The two leaders discussed ways to expand cooperation amid global economic turbulence.

Lee is scheduled to host Tokayev and the leaders of four other Central Asian countries on Wednesday for a multilateral summit aimed at widening regional cooperation.

Seoul has pursued its New Northern Policy since 2017, seeking deeper economic ties with Central Asia and other Eurasian partners as the energy-poor country works to diversify its energy and mineral supplies and export its industrial capabilities.

Earlier, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook told business leaders at a forum that the two countries should move beyond trade in crude oil and uranium to include lithium and critical minerals. She invited businesses to draw on South Korea's advanced technology for exploring and producing Kazakhstan's mineral resources, saying this could help address growing uncertainties in global supply chains.