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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers a commemorative address at a ceremony marking the 64th Firefighters' Day in Sejong on Nov. 9, 2026. /Yonhap

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday called on Tanzila Narbaeva, chairperson of Uzbekistan's Senate, to provide legislative support and ensure the faithful implementation of agreements reached at their September summit so that cooperation on critical minerals, artificial intelligence (AI), transportation and logistics can produce tangible results.

Presidential spokesperson Kim Sung-wan said in a written briefing that Lee met Narbaeva, who is on an official visit to South Korea, at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday.

Narbaeva is Uzbekistan's first female Senate chairperson and also heads the Korea-Uzbekistan Practical Cooperation Monitoring Committee. 

At a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the first Korea-Central Asia Summit in September, the leaders of the two countries agreed to expand forward-looking and mutually beneficial cooperation in areas including critical mineral supply chains, transportation and logistics connectivity, AI and digital transformation, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

"Following two exchanges between our leaders last year, South Korea and Uzbekistan have been developing into even closer special strategic partners through the first Korea-Central Asia Summit in September and the state visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev," Lee said.

"Building on the friendship and trust established by our governments, we are strengthening mutually beneficial economic cooperation, while exchanges between the people of our two countries continue to deepen."

Lee also proposed commemorating the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Uzbekistan and the 90th anniversary of the settlement of ethnic Koreans in Central Asia next year.

He suggested building a museum dedicated to the history of ethnic Koreans in Central Asia to preserve their shared historical and cultural heritage and expanding people-to-people exchanges.

Narbaeva responded, "We will actively support efforts to strengthen ties between our two countries at the parliamentary level." 

                                                                                                         Park Young-hoon