The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) announced plans to strengthen environmental cooperation with Central Asian countries through local enterprise entry meetings (Uzbekistan) and business agreement signings (Kyrgyzstan), conducted by Minister Han Wha-jin during her visit to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan from October 18 to 20.

The Minister will meet with representatives of nine domestic companies and organizations that have entered Uzbekistan, such as Hyundai Construction, Samsung C&T, and Hyundai Engineering, at the Tashkent Crown Plaza Hotel on October 18 to support the entry of Korea's green industries into Uzbekistan.

The Ministry of Environment plans to listen to the suggestions of the companies that are operating on-site and discuss private-public cooperation measures to resolve the difficulties faced by these companies.

Subsequently, the Minister will visit the Kyrgyzstan government office (located in the capital Bishkek) on October 20 to have a meeting with Ibraev Taalaibek Omukeevich, Minister of Energy, and Melis Turgunbaev, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Technology Supervision, and sign a business agreement on renewable energy and environmental protection cooperation.

The business agreement on renewable energy to be signed with the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Energy includes promoting the investigation and development of renewable energy projects such as hydropower and floating solar power to jointly respond to climate change, and strengthening cooperation in local small hydropower plant projects in the Chu River.

The business agreement on environmental protection cooperation to be signed with the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Technology Supervision includes diversifying policy exchanges and cooperation on overall environmental matters, such as responding to climate change, reducing greenhouse gases, managing atmospheric environment, managing water resources, managing waste, and protecting ecosystems, strengthening cooperation in a total of 16 environmental sectors.

Minister Han Wha-jin of the Ministry of Environment stated, "Central Asia, including Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, are facing various environmental problems that Korea has experienced or is experiencing, such as water shortages and climate change." She added, "We will convey Korea's advanced environmental technology to address the environmental problems in Central Asia and prepare a bridgehead for the entry into the green industry sectors such as water resources."

Contact: Lee Kyoung-han, Deputy Director

International Cooperation Division / +82-(0)44-201-6565