Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan met with his Kyrgyz counterpart Thursday to discuss ways to expand trade and critical minerals cooperation between Korea and the Central Asian country, Kim’s office said. Kim and Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakyt Sydykov agreed on the need to expand bilateral trade by diversifying trade items during their meeting in Seoul, commending that the two countries traded $3.5 billion worth of goods last year, which marks the highest figure since they established diplomatic ties in 1992. The ministers also agreed to deepen collaboration in critical minerals, using Kyrgyzstan’s abundant antimony and tungsten resources, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. “Kyrgyzstan is an important cooperation partner for Korea in trade, critical minerals and official development assistance, and with the upcoming Korea-Central Asia summit scheduled to take place in Seoul in September, we wish to accelerate bilateral economic cooperation,” Kim said.
