NEW YORK -- President Lee Jae Myung sat down for talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Tuesday at the United Nations headquarters in New York on the margins of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Lee's inauguration in June. Lee and Mirziyoyev held talks over the phone in July.
According to the press release by the presidential office, Lee expressed his hopes for broader bilateral cooperation, especially in the field of transportation, infrastructure and supply chain, by saying that South Korea's technology edge and Uzbekistan's rich mineral and human resources could create a synergy.
Lee also asked Mirziyoyev for support for some 170,000 Koryoin, or ethnic Koreans who settled down across Central Asia, in Uzbekistan.
The two leaders also highlighted their willingness to deepen their special strategic partnership the two countries have maintained since 2019.
Lee is to host South Korea-Central Asia Summit in 2026.
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