Kazakhstan’s Industry and Construction Minister Yersaiyn Nagaspayev took part in the inaugural C5+1 meeting of industry ministers in Seoul, held ahead of the first summit of Central Asian leaders and South Korea.

The meeting was co-chaired by Nagaspayev and South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Kim Jung-kwan. Ministers from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also attended the meeting, according to Kazakhstan’s Industry and Construction Ministry.

The discussions focused on expanding practical cooperation under the C5+1 format, with particular attention to investment, technology, industrial infrastructure, critical minerals, global supply chains and workforce development.

Nagaspayev said Kazakhstan has entered a new stage of development under President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with large-scale reforms designed to strengthen investor confidence.

He also highlighted the establishment of Alatau City, Kazakhstan’s first city with a special legal status, calling it one of the country’s key state priorities. Nagaspayev said that South Korean companies are regarded as strategic partners in the city’s development.

“I am confident that the state visit of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Seoul will open new opportunities for further expanding cooperation and provide additional momentum to the development of the entire range of Kazakhstan-South Korea relations,” Nagaspayev said.

The C5+1 platform aims to build stronger industrial ties between South Korea and the five Central Asian countries.

Trade turnover between Kazakhstan, its Central Asian partners and South Korea reached around $12 billion last year, while more than 1,000 joint companies operate in Kazakhstan’s manufacturing sector.

The meeting concluded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on industrial and supply-chain cooperation between South Korea and the Central Asian states, along with the adoption of a joint declaration.