South Korea–Central Asia summit postponed to 2026

Last Updated on June 30, 2025 3:40 pm

The announcement was made by South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-ju during a session of the National Assembly’s international affairs committee, Yonhap news agency reported. Park cited the recent shift in the country’s leadership and scheduling constraints as key reasons for the delay.

“After considering all relevant circumstances, including our internal schedule, it was difficult to propose a suitable date for this summit this year,” Park said.

The summit was initially proposed in June 2024 during a visit by then-President Yoon Suk-yeol to Central Asian countries. Leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan had agreed to hold the “Central Asia–Korea” summit in Seoul in 2025.

However, in mid-2025, South Korea underwent political upheaval following Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law. The incident triggered early elections, resulting in the victory of Lee Jae Myung from the Democratic Party, who became the new president.