South Korea launched the Korea-Central Asia Industry Ministers' Meeting with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to support critical-mineral supply chains, processing projects and industrial investment. President Lee Jae Myung subsequently held summits with Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during their state visits to South Korea. Lee and Berdimuhamedov discussed bilateral cooperation and regional issues before overseeing exchanges of 13 memorandums of understanding. Lee and Tokayev discussed trade, energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges. Their summit elevated bilateral ties to a future-oriented comprehensive strategic partnership, Cheong Wa Dae said, marking the first upgrade in 17 years, and was followed by exchanges of 13 memorandums of understanding.