Leaders of Korea, Kazakhstan look to expand joint business projects in Kazakhstan

Описание: President Park Geun-hye, currently on a state visit to Kazakhtan,... and her counterpart there have agreed to take their economic ties up a notch by expanding joint projects beyond the Central Asian nation's energy sector.
The Kazakh president also gave its backing for President Park's North Korea policies.
Choi You-sun sends this report from Astana.
During a summit meeting in Astana Thursday, President Park Geun-hye and her Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev first checked up on three, previously-signed joint projects that are worth 10 billion U.S. dollars.
Seoul asked for Astana's cooperation in speeding up initiatives on the construction of a coal thermal plant and petrochemical complex,... along with mining projects off the Kazakh coast near the Caspian Sea.
While Seoul considers Kazakhstan a key investment destination in resource-rich Central Asia, Astana has made Korea a role model for its so-called "2050 strategy," that aims to make it one of the world's top 30 economic powerhouses.
Beyond their energy ventures, Presidents Park and Nazarbayev agreed to sign a rail technology sharing deal that could offer Korean firms the chance to participate in Kazakh railway and transportation infrastructure construction in the future.
This, in line with President Park's initiative to link energy and logistics infrastructure across Eurasia, to transform the global economic system and assure security on the Korean peninsula.
They also discussed working together in areas of medicine, forestry and visa waivers.
Kazakhstan, which voluntarily handed over some 1-thousand former Soviet nuclear warheads in the 1990s, reiterated its position of not recognizing North Korea as a nuclear weapons state.
It also endorsed President Park's trust-building policies with the North.
In an interview with a Kazakh media outlet, the South Korean leader urged Pyongyang to learn from Kazakhstan,... which has developed thanks to financial aid from the West and has been given security assurances after giving up its nuclear arms.
Wrapping up her state visit to Kazakhstan, President Park will depart for the final leg of her Central Asia tour to Turkmenistan Friday, the first-ever visit to the country by a Korean president.
Choi You-sun, Arirang News, Astana.