President Lee Jae Myung to ADB chief: "Let’s expand cooperation on critical minerals, AI and nuclear power"

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung met with Masato Kanda, president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), on the 14th and proposed expanding cooperation in critical minerals, artificial intelligence (AI), nuclear power and other energy sectors across the Asia-Pacific region, including Central Asia.
Kang Yoo-jung, senior spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae, said in a written briefing that President Lee received Kanda at his office at 11 a.m. Kanda was visiting South Korea for the Korea-Uzbekistan summit and the Korea-Central Asia Summit.
President Lee described Central Asia as a region with strong growth potential, supported by abundant resources and geographic advantages. He proposed expanding cooperation between South Korea and the ADB.
In particular, he identified critical mineral supply chains as a key area of cooperation. President Lee proposed that South Korea, with its technology and capabilities, and the ADB, with its diverse project experience and financial instruments in Asia, expand cooperation to stabilize critical mineral supply chains in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan.
Kanda also identified critical mineral supply chains as a priority area for ADB support and expressed his willingness to cooperate with South Korea. He also praised the South Korean economy for delivering strong results despite uncertain global economic conditions, and highly valued President Lee’s leadership in AI and digital technologies.
In the AI sector, President Lee explained his vision of "AI for everyone" and South Korea’s efforts to advance global AI. He emphasized that combining South Korea’s AI capabilities with the ADB’s development expertise could produce meaningful results.
The two sides also agreed to broaden cooperation in the energy sector. President Lee and Kanda agreed to work to ensure that South Korea’s technology and experience can be used in energy infrastructure expansion projects across the Asia-Pacific region, including the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), which the ADB is promoting, as well as in financing-support policies related to nuclear power.
Kanda wished for the successful hosting of the first Korea-Central Asia Summit, which will be held in South Korea this week.
[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter