0
President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a meeting with senior secretaries held at Cheong Wa Dae on the 3rd./Yonhap

President Lee Jae-myung met with Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda on the 14th, who was visiting South Korea on the occasion of summit diplomacy between South Korea and Central Asian nations, to discuss expanding cooperation in the energy sector, including critical minerals, artificial intelligence (AI), and nuclear power plants across the Asia-Pacific region, including Central Asia.

Kang Yu-jung, senior spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae, relayed the discussions in a written briefing that day, stating, "This meeting was arranged to link South Korea-Central Asia summit diplomacy with ADB cooperation, while strengthening our partnership with the ADB to broaden opportunities for South Korean companies to expand overseas across various sectors."

President Lee suggested broadening South Korea-ADB collaboration, remarking, "Central Asia is a region with high growth potential anchored by abundant resources and geographical advantages."

Cooperation on critical mineral supply chains was also addressed as a key agenda item. President Lee noted, "To stabilize supply chains in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, it is necessary to expand cooperation between South Korea, which possesses technological and industrial capabilities, and the ADB, which holds diverse project experience and financial instruments."

ADB President Kanda responded favorably, saying, "Critical mineral supply chains are a focal area of ADB support, and we hope to cooperate by combining this with South Korea's industrial capabilities."

President Lee further outlined the "AI for All" vision and South Korea's initiative for global AI cooperation.

He emphasized that combining South Korea's AI capabilities with the ADB's development expertise could produce concrete achievements across the Asia-Pacific region. The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation in energy infrastructure.

                                                                                                         Park Young-hoon