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Hwang Ki-yeon, Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of Korea (left), poses for a commemorative photo with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Shilla Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 15th. / Export-Import Bank of Korea

Hwang Ki-yeon, Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank), met with the Uzbek president to discuss expanding bilateral economic cooperation across critical minerals, bio, digital, and other sectors.

Korea Eximbank announced on the 16th that Chairman Hwang held a meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Shilla Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 15th to discuss ways to upgrade economic cooperation between the two nations.

The meeting took place immediately following the Korea-Uzbekistan Business Roundtable, organized on the sidelines of the 1st Korea-Central Asia Summit. Chairman Hwang extended a warm welcome to President Mirziyoyev and expressed expectations that the bilateral economic partnership would deepen further in the wake of the summit.

The two sides discussed cooperative measures aligned with Uzbekistan's national development policies, including critical mineral and energy development, industrial diversification, and infrastructure expansion. In particular, they agreed that Uzbekistan's national development initiatives could also help South Korea diversify its supply chain for critical minerals and bolster its competitiveness in high-tech industries.

Both parties also shared the view that combining South Korea's industrial and technological capabilities with Uzbekistan's development potential must generate tangible economic benefits for both countries.

Leveraging the summit, Korea Eximbank laid the groundwork for bilateral cooperation by exchanging memorandums of understanding on key initiatives, including the establishment of a strategic project development system. Moving forward, the bank plans to flesh out the agreed-upon projects and explore concrete financial support measures.

Chairman Hwang stated, "Through this summit and the series of accompanying events, the framework for forward-looking cooperation between our two countries has been fortified further," adding, "We will faithfully materialize the agreed projects to accelerate economic cooperation with Uzbekistan and concentrate our capabilities so that these efforts translate into tangible financial support outcomes."

                                                                                                            Park Seo-ah