At President Lee Jae-myung’s invitation, Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev began a third state visit to Seoul on 13 September 2026 (after 2017 and December 2021) to deepen a “special strategic partnership” and join the first Central Asia–Korea summit. Seoul recognized Uzbekistan in December 1991; Karimov visited eight times. Koryo-saram are cited as a people-to-people tie.

Talks listed trade, investment, critical minerals, transport, and infrastructure. A project portfolio near $12 billion and a new Eximbank partnership program were announced, plus an IT, cyber, and health “innovation alliance.” About 700 Korean-capital joint ventures and more than $8 billion of Korean investment are cited; documents covered transport, aviation, AI, education, and more. 2027 is to be a Year of Culture and Mutual Exchanges.

Four Korean university branches and five KOICA vocational centers operate in Uzbekistan. Uzbek residents in Korea were near 95,000 in 2024. Meetings with Speaker Cho Jeong-sik and PM Han Seong-sook preceded the 16 September C5 Korea summit and an expected Seoul Declaration on trade, investment, infrastructure, and digital ties.

At the invitation of President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae-myung, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev began a state visit to Seoul on September 13, aimed at expanding the Uzbek-Korean special strategic partnership and taking part in the first Central Asia-Republic of Korea summit. It is Mirziyoyev’s third state visit to Seoul, following a first trip in 2017 and a second in December........

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