ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 01 (AJP) - Kazakhstan is courting South Korean investment for its next phase of industrial and digital transformation, including an AI-centered smart city project and new transport initiatives, Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Kuantyrov said Thursday.
Speaking at a briefing held at The Hilton Hotel ahead of the Kazakhstan Global Investment Round (KGIR) in Astana, Kuantyrov said the two countries share common goals in digitalization and artificial intelligence, and that a new project — the city of Alatau — will anchor future cooperation.
“One of the largest projects specifically targeting South Korea is the new city of Alatau — it’s more than just a city, it’s a special economic zone,” Kuantyrov said. “It will be an artificial-intelligence-centered city, fully digitalized, and we expect significant Korean investment to flow there,” he added.
The Alatau project near Almaty is envisioned as a “smart zone” built from the ground up, following a Seoul business forum led by Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister earlier this year. Kuantyrov also highlighted Kia Corporation’s plant in Kostanay, which produces about 90,000 vehicles annually, calling it one of South Korea’s most significant overseas investments.
He noted that South Korea ranks among Kazakhstan’s top five investors, alongside the Netherlands and the United States, and mentioned the country’s ethnic Korean community, which migrated to Central Asia in the 1930s and now serves as a “natural bridge” between the two economies.
Madiyar Sultanbek, deputy chairman of Kazakh Invest, said cooperation with Korean companies is expanding into advanced mobility and infrastructure, including urban air mobility and magnetic-levitation railway projects connecting Almaty and Konaev. “We have a long history with Korean investors — from Lotte’s Rakhat chocolate factory to LG, Hyundai, and Samsung — and we’re now entering a new phase in areas like maglev and smart mobility,” he said.
He added that Kazakhstan maintains several official investment partnerships in South Korea, with a dedicated representative based in Seoul. The government aims to attract technology-driven investment while doubling exports and raising the share of processed goods to 70 percent of total exports.
Officials at the briefing also pointed to Kazakhstan’s growing interest in AI applications across industry and governance, noting examples such as AI-assisted locomotives that improve energy efficiency and digital tools used in government decision-making. “AI will reshape how we manage both the public and private sectors,” Kuantyrov said. “It’s not about replacing people but improving efficiency and creating new industries.”
As Kazakhstan positions itself as Central Asia’s financial and logistics hub — accounting for nearly half of all foreign investment in the region — officials said the next wave of cooperation with South Korea would focus on green mobility, smart infrastructure, and AI innovation.
reporter
Candice Kim
candicekim1121@ajupress.com
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