Korea-Uzbekistan partnership: IT Park signals emergence of new Eurasian digital corridor

The digital partnership between Korea and Uzbekistan is entering a new stage. What was once driven primarily by diplomatic engagement and development cooperation is steadily evolving into a more structured economic relationship built around technology exports, outsourcing, startup investment and digital workers.

At the heart of this transformation is IT Park Uzbekistan, which has emerged as the country’s leading platform for international IT services, foreign investment and export-oriented digital businesses. As of June 2026, the IT Park ecosystem comprised more than 3,800 resident companies, including over 1,000 foreign enterprises, placing Uzbekistan among Central Asia’s fastest-growing technology hubs.

The growing scale and sophistication of bilateral cooperation point to the increasingly strategic role of Korea. Rather than being driven solely by differences in market size, the partnership is increasingly based on complementary strengths.

Korea brings globally competitive technology companies, sophisticated corporate demand, investment capital and access to international innovation networks. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, offers a rapidly expanding pool of engineering and IT workers, competitive operating costs and a policy environment increasingly geared toward the development and export of digital services.

This combination is creating the foundations for a shift from traditional development cooperation toward deeper commercial and technological integration.

From individual contacts to institutional partnership

One of the most important developments in Korea-Uzbekistan digital cooperation has been the transition from individual business contacts to permanent institutional mechanisms.

In 2024, IT Park Uzbekistan expanded its international presence by opening a representative office in Seoul and, together with the Korea International Innovation Integration Center, launching the Uzbek-Korean IT Business Alliance.

These initiatives have established more permanent channels for business matchmaking, investment promotion and technology partnerships. They also provide a platform for sustained engagement beyond occasional government missions or individual private-sector contacts.

The strengthening of institutional ties is accompanied by a growing presence of Korean companies in Uzbekistan’s digital economy.

Among the notable participants are LG CNS Uzbekistan, ITOMAX Central Asia Development Center and NOMADIAN, which are contributing to software development and technology projects within Uzbekistan’s rapidly expanding IT sector.

The overall trend is reflected in the latest figures. During the first half of 2026, the number of IT Park resident companies with Korean capital participation reached 23. These companies generated $590,900 in exports and employed 125 people.

At the same time, the number of IT Park resident companies exporting services to Korea reached 25. During the first half of 2026, these companies provided $716,000 worth of export services and employed 285 people.

Although digital services exports are inherently project-based and quarterly fluctuations are therefore normal, the broader indicators point in a positive direction. The expansion of institutional cooperation, investment activity and business development initiatives suggests that the underlying trajectory of Korea-Uzbekistan digital relations remains firmly upward.

Moving beyond traditional outsourcing

The IT Park Uzbekistan business mission to Korea in June 2026 demonstrated another important evolution in the relationship.

Discussions increasingly moved beyond conventional outsourcing arrangements toward higher-value segments of the digital economy, including multilingual services, quality assurance, venture investment and applied artificial intelligence.

For example, KS JOB INC. signed a memorandum of understanding covering the expansion of its operations in Uzbekistan, the establishment of Korean-language training programs and the preparation and recruitment of up to 500 specialists capable of providing services to clients in Korea and Japan.

Meanwhile, MetaM explored the possibility of transferring business process outsourcing projects to Uzbekistan and establishing a quality assurance office in the country.

Participants in Korea’s venture ecosystem, including SparkLabs and Mirae Asset, also examined opportunities to support startup acceleration and potentially establish a joint investment fund.

These initiatives remain at an early stage and should not yet be viewed as measurable export achievements. Their significance, however, lies in the direction they represent. Cooperation is gradually expanding beyond cost-based outsourcing toward knowledge-intensive services, multilingual operations, venture capital and innovation partnerships.

Complementary strengths, shared opportunities

Korea is one of Asia’s most technologically advanced economies, home to globally competitive corporations, sophisticated digital infrastructure and strong demand for software engineering and business services.

For Uzbekistan, deeper integration into Korean technology value chains could generate benefits extending well beyond additional export revenues. It could provide access to advanced approaches to project management, product development, quality assurance and international business practices, while strengthening the capabilities of Uzbekistan’s own technology sector.

For Korea, Uzbekistan is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for technology outsourcing and regional diversification.

As Korean companies seek to build geographically diversified workforces beyond traditional markets, Uzbekistan’s young and growing workforce represents a significant opportunity. Government support, tax incentives, expanding digital infrastructure and the country’s growing pool of IT professionals further strengthen Uzbekistan’s position as a potential long-term partner for Korean technology companies.

In this context, the relationship is increasingly based not simply on the search for lower operating costs, but on the development of complementary capabilities and new channels for technological cooperation.

Building digital corridor between East Asia, Central Asia

The institutional architecture emerging around Korea-Uzbekistan digital cooperation — including representative offices, business alliances, export acceleration initiatives and specialized industry forums — is creating the foundations for a more sustainable long-term partnership.

The significance of this process extends beyond the bilateral relationship itself.

Korea is one of East Asia’s leading technology economies, while Uzbekistan occupies an increasingly important position at the intersection of Central Asian markets. Connecting these two ecosystems could create new opportunities for the movement of digital services, technology, investment and people between East Asia and Central Asia.

In this sense, Korea-Uzbekistan digital cooperation is increasingly becoming more than a collection of individual commercial projects. It is beginning to take shape as a new digital corridor linking Central Asia with one of East Asia’s leading technology economies.

The current scale of this cooperation remains relatively modest compared with the overall size of the Korean and Uzbek economies. Yet the direction is strategically significant. As institutional mechanisms mature, Korean companies expand their presence in Uzbekistan and Uzbek IT firms deepen their access to the Korean market, the digital partnership has the potential to become an increasingly important component of broader economic relations between the two countries.

For Uzbekistan, the objective is not simply to become another outsourcing destination. It is to develop into a competitive regional hub for technology services, innovation and digital workers.

For Korea, Uzbekistan offers an emerging platform through which Korean companies can diversify their operations, access new workforces and strengthen their presence in the rapidly developing Central Asian market.

The foundations for such a partnership are already being established. The next stage will depend on the ability of businesses, investors and institutions on both sides to convert these emerging opportunities into long-term projects, sustainable investment and deeper technological integration.

Azamat Karamatov is CEO of IT Park Uzbekistan, a government-supported technology hub in Tashkent.