Central Asia has been a crucial point in the economic, cultural, political and religious exchange between East and West for centuries. It still plays a vital role in interactions between Europe and Asian countries including the Republic of Korea. The ...
Central Asia has been a crucial point in the economic, cultural, political and religious exchange between East and West for centuries. It still plays a vital role in interactions between Europe and Asian countries including the Republic of Korea. The collapse of Soviet Union created an opportunity for the ROK to find new trade partners and sources of energy to meet its energy needs. Since then, South Korea has taken significant steps to strengthen and develop its relations with Central Asian countries. Several bilateral agreements and contracts have been made to help newborn independent states to build up their economies and reduce their dependency on limited powers. Moreover, South Korean government established various funds and organizations exclusively for the advancement of the region’s cultural, medical, IT and other areas. Special initiatives were launched by the administration of each Korean president to deepen the bilateral relations with the region.
This research attempts to analyze the key factors of trade policy of the ROK in Central Asian states as a way of developing the commercial cooperation between the states and explore the problems and opportunities for further partnership. In this respect, the objective of this research is to investigate the previous and current condition of the partnership and significance of special initiatives of the ROK toward Central Asia.