The 6th annual meeting of the Korea-Central Asia Economic Council was held in Seoul on December 3. Organized by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) jointly with the chambers of commerce of the five Central Asian countries and the Korea Foundation for International Exchange, the event provided a platform for identifying new strategic areas of cooperation.

The council, founded in 2020 to strengthen private economic partnerships, is traditionally held in conjunction with the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

This year's meeting focused on "Exploring Korea-Central Asia Cooperation in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation."

The meeting, held in a combined online and offline format, was attended by high-ranking officials, including Director of the KITA International Cooperation Headquarters Kim Ki-hyun, Secretary-General of the Korea Foundation Lee Jong-kook, as well as representatives of chambers of commerce, officials from ministries related to AI, and businessmen from five Central Asian countries.

Participants discussed trends in artificial intelligence technology development and cooperation plans in various fields, including healthcare, infrastructure, and logistics.

During the session, specific business models leveraging Korea's advanced practices were presented.

East Telecom President Park Se-joo presented a cooperation model based on the application of smart grids and AI-based technologies. CNU Global CEO Lim Soo-bin presented the "Plan for Sustainable Cooperation through the Digitalization of Transportation and Logistics and Smart Infrastructure."

Particular attention was paid to the energy sector. Lim Soo-bin emphasized that Korea's advanced energy metering infrastructure (AMI) can significantly contribute to improving energy efficiency in Central Asia. This aspect is critical for the region, where electricity demand is rapidly growing due to economic development and population growth.

Summarizing the meeting's outcomes, Kim Ki-hyun, Head of KITA's International Cooperation Headquarters, expressed hope that the forum will provide Korea and Central Asia with the opportunity to discover practical areas of cooperation in AI and digital innovation that go beyond simple technology development.

ORIENT