Media organizations from South Korea and Kazakhstan have agreed to exchange articles and videos and collaborate on content creation. This agreement was reached just hours before a meeting between the leaders of the two countries.
Aju News Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding on September 15 at its headquarters in downtown Seoul with the TV and Radio Complex, a state-owned enterprise under the Kazakhstan presidential office. Chairman Kwak Young-gil and Kazinform President Raushan Kazhibayeva signed the agreement. The TV and Radio Complex oversees Kazinform, the national news agency of Kazakhstan, and the international broadcasting channel Zhibek Zholy.
Aju News Corporation publishes news in Korean and English through its AJP platform and is part of Aju Media Group, which also provides news in Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese.
The agreement coincides with a busy diplomatic week, as Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is visiting South Korea as a state guest. A summit with President Lee Jae-myung is scheduled for the afternoon of the signing day. On September 16, President Lee will host a summit with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Seoul, where the six nations are expected to adopt the 'Seoul Declaration' outlining a framework for long-term cooperation.
Under the agreement, both companies will exchange news content while ensuring proper attribution. They will also collaborate on content creation and open their respective correspondent networks upon request. The scope of cooperation includes employee training, internships, distribution of domestic and international media, and support for production equipment. Costs incurred will be determined through separate contracts, and the agreement does not impose financial burdens on either party.
Kazhibayeva emphasized that this agreement is not just a bilateral matter. She stated, "This agreement will serve as a gateway to Central Asian countries and open new avenues for cooperation between media companies."
Kazinform has reporters across all 17 regions of Kazakhstan and operates offices in Russia, China, Turkey, Europe, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Jordan. Its headquarters in Astana publishes articles in Kazakh, Russian, English, Chinese, and Uzbek.
The agency began in August 1920 as a regional branch of the Russian telegraph agency and has undergone several name and ownership changes since then. In 2022, it became part of the TV and Radio Complex under the presidential office, and the following year, it was restructured into its current state-owned enterprise form. The operating costs of its affiliated media are funded by the national budget.
Kazhibayeva has led the organization since April 2022, previously serving as an advisor to the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and head of the Ministry of Defense's public relations office.
Chairman Kwak highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between the peoples of the two nations. He remarked, "The relationship between Korea and Kazakhstan has a long history, but there remains a significant gap between our peoples. Through this cooperation agreement, Aju News Corporation and Kazinform aim to connect our two countries and bring our peoples closer together."
The ties between the two nations predate their diplomatic relations established on January 28, 1992. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are 119,542 ethnic Koreans living in Kazakhstan, most of whom are descendants of Koreans forcibly relocated to Central Asia from the Soviet Far East in 1937. Next year marks the 90th anniversary of this forced relocation, and the government plans to increase Korean language and cultural education in the region.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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