South Korea and Tajikistan agreed to expand bilateral cooperation, with Prime Minister Han Seong-sook welcoming President Emomali Rahmon to the Government Seoul Complex during Rahmon’s official visit for the Korea-Central Asia Summit on the 16th. Han highlighted the establishment of a comprehensive partnership and said bilateral trade reached a record $350 million last year. He urged support for Korean companies entering the Tajik market and called for cooperation in critical minerals, digital and AI (artificial intelligence), human exchanges and culture, including the Korea-Tajikistan IT Park project. Han also presented South Korea’s AI for All initiative and expressed interest in building an AI basic society while sharing its achievements internationally. Rahmon described South Korea as one of Tajikistan’s key foreign-policy partners and said the countries’ relationship has historical roots reaching back to the Great Silk Road. He welcomed cooperation in antimony and other mineral resources, hydropower, renewable energy, agricultural processing, textiles, roads and railways. Rahmon also said Tajikistan had begun building an AI-focused IT hub complex in Dushanbe, reinforcing interest in digital cooperation. The two sides cited possible progress on a direct Seoul-Dushanbe flight route, the entry of Tajik workers through South Korea’s Foreign Employment Permit System, cultural exchanges and education. Rahmon noted strong interest in Korean-language education at major Tajik universities and sought South Korean educational experience, particularly in engineering and AI.