S. Korea, Uzbekistan discuss expanding industrial, supply chain cooperation

## Summary
SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Uzbekistan held a vice trade ministers' meeting Tuesday to discuss ways to expand industrial and supply chain cooperation between the two countries, Seoul's trade ministry said. Vice Trade Minister Park Jung-sung met with his Uzbek counterpart, Ilzat Kasimov, in Seoul to exchange views on bilateral economic ties ahead of an upcoming summit between South Korea and five Central Asian nations, including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, set to be held in September, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. In the meeting, the vice ministers agreed on the need to expand economic and industrial cooperation between the two sides, as well as collaboration in critical minerals amid shifts in global supply chains. Park also called for Uzbekistan's support for Korean companies operating in the country, stressing that Uzbekistan is an important economic cooperation partner for South Korea in the Central Asian region, while Kasimov expressed hopes for South Korean companies' additional investment in Uzbekistan's manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, the ministry said.

## Article Content
SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Uzbekistan held a vice trade ministers' meeting Tuesday to discuss ways to expand industrial and supply chain cooperation between the two countries, Seoul's trade ministry said.

Vice Trade Minister Park Jung-sung met with his Uzbek counterpart, Ilzat Kasimov, in Seoul to exchange views on bilateral economic ties ahead of an upcoming summit between South Korea and five Central Asian nations, including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, set to be held in September, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

In the meeting, the vice ministers agreed on the need to expand economic and industrial cooperation between the two sides, as well as collaboration in critical minerals amid shifts in global supply chains.

Park also called for Uzbekistan's support for Korean companies operating in the country, stressing that Uzbekistan is an important economic cooperation partner for South Korea in the Central Asian region, while Kasimov expressed hopes for South Korean companies' additional investment in Uzbekistan's manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, the ministry said.



The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources headquarters in the central city of Sejong (Yonhap)

nyway@yna.co.kr

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Park also called for Uzbekistan's support for Korean companies operating in the country, stressing that Uzbekistan is an important economic cooperation partner for South Korea in the Central Asian region, while Kasimov expressed hopes for South Korean companies' additional investment in Uzbekistan's manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, the ministry said.

### Areas for Consideration
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### Implications
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### Expert Commentary
This article covers uzbekistan, trade, south topics. Notable strengths include discussion of uzbekistan. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 186.