CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS AND GREEN ENERGY: THE FOUNDATION OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL ALLIANCE BETWEEN SOUTH KOREA AND CENTRAL ASIA

The global shift toward combating climate change and transitioning to a green economy is reshaping the architecture of international relations. Today, rare earth elements and critical raw materials (such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and uranium)—which are essential for manufacturing electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy systems, and microchips—have turned into highly strategic resources. Although South Korea is a global leader in high-tech and green industries, it faces a severe domestic resource scarcity. Conversely, the Central Asian region possesses vast untapped reserves of these critical minerals. This mutual dependency necessitates shifting the relationship between South Korea and Central Asian states from traditional trade toward a globally significant technological and raw materials alliance. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a scientific and practical analysis of the future prospects of the green energy and critical minerals sectors within these bilateral relations, as well as their structural impact on the regional economy.