Kazakhstan and South Korea sign 12 cooperation documents after talks

September 15, 2026 at 06:35 PM2 min

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Kazakhstan and South Korea signed 12 intergovernmental and interagency documents on September 16, 2026, covering energy, labor migration, science, and infrastructure. The agreements were exchanged in the presence of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. The signing followed expanded-format talks between the two leaders.

Key Facts

Kazakhstan and South Korea signed 12 documents covering oil cooperation, nuclear energy, labor migration, science, infrastructure, and culture.
The labor migration memorandum establishes the sending and receiving of workers under South Korea's Employment Permit System (EPS).
Two memoranda on peaceful nuclear energy were signed between Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency and two South Korean ministries.
A framework agreement on oil cooperation was signed between Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy and South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
The cultural cooperation memorandum covers the period 2026–2030 between the culture ministries of both countries.

Signed Documents

The 12 documents were exchanged in the presence of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President Lee Jae-myung. They include a framework agreement on oil cooperation between Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy and South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. Two memoranda on peaceful nuclear energy were signed between Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency and South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, and Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. A memorandum on labor migration was signed between Kazakhstan's Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor. Other documents cover science and technology talent development, intellectual property, urban and infrastructure development, advanced air mobility, digital forest restoration, culture for 2026–2030, and preservation of historical sites.

Bilateral Context

The signing followed expanded-format talks between Tokayev and Lee Jae-myung. On the same day, Tokayev held meetings with heads of major South Korean corporations. Hyundai agreed to produce the new Tucson in Kazakhstan, QazaqGaz and Hyundai Engineering exchanged agreements on building a gas processing plant in western Kazakhstan, and Lotte Group announced construction of its first branded hotel in Almaty.