Korea-Central Asia culture ministers' talks end with agreement

The culture ministers of Korea and five Central Asian countries closed their first talks Tuesday with an agreement on enhancing cultural cooperation between them.

During the two-day talks in Gwangju, Korean culture minister Choe Kwang-shik and his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan agreed to cooperate for the full use of the "Asian Culture Complex," a multi-purpose cultural facility under construction in the city, according to Korean officials.

The construction is part of a broader government project to develop Gwangju, a city in the southwest of South Korea, into a cultural hub in Asia.

The complex, when completed in 2014, will have five major facilities, including theaters, an Asian cultural research institute and a venue for supporting cultural exchanges between South Korea and other Asian nations, according to Seoul officials.

The participants also decided to increase cooperation in all fields of culture and arts and hold similar talks on a regular basis, the officials said.

After the talks, the ministers adopted a declaration calling for joint efforts to preserve and well-utilize cultural assets, and participation in a program to enhance the capabilities of cultural experts.

The Gwangju Declaration also calls for enhancing cultural exchanges and strengthening joint production of cultural products among the Asian countries. (Yonhap)