In Uzbekistan, although cars on the street have a Chevrolet logo, the origins of these cars can be traced back to the Daewoo and its long history of investment in the country.  In Almaty, Korean supermarkets are popping up in the city with everything from goods and appearances all imported from South Korea.  These are just some examples of the growing influence of Koreans in Central Asia.

South Korea has been a key player in Central Asia for an extended period.  From the 1990s onwards, Koreans have expressed their interests and invested in Central Asia.  More recently, the Korean interest in the region has grown further.  President Yoon’s visit to Central Asia this June brought forth the K-Silk Road project.  The Koreans will invest in Central Asia while providing new opportunities for cultural exchange.  Seoul will also host a new Central Asia-Korea summit in 2025. 

The South Korean government had a clear goal in promoting K-Silk Road.  Seoul wanted to expand its economic opportunities and presence in Central Asia further.  The familiarity will help South Korea strengthen its soft power in the region.  Ultimately, the Korean vision in Central Asia also echoes its greater ambition in global politics. 

Economic Opportunities

The proposed K-Silk Road focuses more on economic opportunities and South Korean investment projects.  Based on the specifics of the nation, South Koreans have drafted specific plans for investment projects in Central Asia.  For example, Tajikistan will have projects related to power and technology.  In Uzbekistan, the projects shift towards transportation, while Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan will work on the chemical industry and automobiles. 

The K-Silk Road will generate new economic opportunities for both sides.  The latest investments in the region will provide a vital renewal of Central Asia’s critical infrastructure, from electricity to roads to oil refineries.  It also provides the essential economic and even political diversity that Central Asia has pursued in the past few years.  As President Tokayev of Kazakhstan calls South Korea’s visit “historical,” the Central Asian leaders have received well with the visit.

For Koreans, the project is meant to enhance the existing collaboration for the past 30 years between South Korea and the region.  South Korea has a long history of exporting to the Central Asian countries.  The investment started in the 1990s, and South Korea remained a vital trade partner to Central Asia.  South Korean investment in the region has not stopped, from Daewoo’s car to Samsung’s house appliances.  The Seoul government, this time, wanted to reaffirm and deepen its relationship in Central Asia with new projects from K-Silk Road.

The expansion also relates to moving into new sectors.  The K-Silk Road project focused on South Korea’s leading industries and needs to open the international market further.  As Korean business leaders also joined the presidential visit to Central Asia, the potential of the Central Asian market truly entices the South Koreans.  The proposed Uzbekistan high-speed rail project will be the first time South Korea exports its high-speed rail to the global market.  The chemical industry collaboration with Turkmenistan will also become an excellent springboard for future buyers to see South Korean production capacity and ability.

The new project also gives South Koreans a new opportunity to seek secure and stable energy and mineral resources for the future.  South Korea also heavily relies on imports for energy.  The oil-rich Central Asia certainly draws Seoul’s attention and seeks further cooperation.  Meanwhile, as the South Korean economy relies on manufacturing, especially electronics, the new mineral deals with Kazakhstan and even building a laboratory on minerals will provide a boost and secure the supply for the South Korean economy in the future.    

Soft Power Diplomacy

With a growing entertainment and cultural influence, South Korea has developed the strategy of using soft power to expand its influence on the world stage.  From Korean supermarkets to Korean TV shows, these Central Asian countries are also under great impacts of the Korean cultural.  Uzbekistan even hosted a Korean song contest, further showing the depth of the Korean cultural impact in the region. 

More importantly, South Korea has a deep cultural connection with the Central Asian countries.  More than three hundred thousand ethnic Koreans live in Central Asia due to forced migration in the 1930s.  These Koreans kept their culture and language in Central Asia.  Kazakhstan even has a national Korean-language theater.  Central Asians, therefore, are not unfamiliar with the Korean culture from the beginning.  It gives an excellent chance for the Seoul government to materialize this influence and therefore an angle to enter Central Asia.

The K-Silk Road project also provided cultural exchange projects.  South Korea will provide support in Uzbekistan to advance its tourism industry and expand Korean cultural institutes in Uzbekistan.  Kazakhstan also signed a collaboration agreement with the Seoul government, and Kazakhstani students will receive scholarships from South Korea. Artistic collaboration is also a repeated term in the bilateral talks between South Korean and Central Asian leaders.  These projects will only further secure South Korea’s regional soft power. 

Political Ambition

South Koreans have ambitions in international affairs, and the K-Silk Road reveals that vision.  This is the third South Korean regional policy proposed by the government.  These regional strategies surrounded South Korea’s international interests, from economic to global security.  As Central Asia becomes a hotspot for many other nations, South Korea remains one of the few that delivers a dedicated Central Asian regional strategy.  This puts Seoul in an advanced position to gain support on the steppe.

South Korea also expressed its willingness to collaborate under the current international structure.  In the visit of South Korean leadership to Turkmenistan, the bilateral talks also involved improving roles in global organizations and seeking a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear issues.  In the visit to Kazakhstan, President Yoon mentioned the collaboration with Kazakhstan under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on environmental issues. 

Although K-Silk Road has limited mention in political or security cooperation, it still marks a significant improvement in South Korea’s efforts to form a close political bond with Central Asia.  South Korea still managed to organize a summit with Central Asian leaders in Seoul later this year despite the geographical distance and the strong influence of Central Asia’s traditional partners.  The fact that the Seoul government organized a summit with these countries proves their significant role in Central Asia.  This will be a major booster for Seoul’s confidence in the future of its political ambition. 

Conclusion

South Korea has been one of the leading investors in Central Asia for many years.  The South Koreans had simple but tangible goals for their regional strategy.  The K-Silk Road allows South Korea to sustain its regional impact while expanding its economic and soft power impacts.  The existing cultural exchange will also allow Seoul to boost its soft power diplomacy.  Politically, the K-Silk Road will also allow South Korea to expand its political ambition further and participate more actively on the world stage.