{"slug": "from-vocational-training-to-ai-governance-koica-s-evolving-role-in-central-asia", "title": "From vocational training to AI governance: KOICA's evolving role in Central Asia", "summary": "The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) channeled roughly $440 million in official development assistance to the five Central Asian states between 1992 and 2025, with education taking the largest share at 30.2 percent, public administration 24.9 percent, and technology, environment and energy 18.8 percent. Uzbekistan received the largest share of the aid, followed by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Around 2021, KOICA's regional work began pivoting from vocational training, primary health care, rural infrastructure and energy capacity building toward artificial intelligence and digital governance as Central Asian governments pressed for digitized public services.", "body_md": "Korea's development aid to Central Asia, once rooted in vocational training and rural development, is pivoting toward artificial intelligence (AI) and digital governance, a shift that mirrors both the region's ambitions and Seoul's strategy to build lasting partnerships amid a fast-changing geopolitical landscape. Between 1992 and 2025, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) channeled roughly $440 million in official development assistance (ODA) to the five Central Asian states. Uzbekistan received the largest share, followed by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Education took up the biggest slice at 30.2 percent, public administration accounted for 24.9 percent, while technology, environment and energy made up 18.8 percent. For much of that period, KOICA's work in the region centered on conventional development needs: vocational training centers, primary health care programs, rural infrastructure and capacity building in the energy sector. The turning point came around 2021, when governments across Central Asia began pressing for digitized public service", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-vocational-training-to-ai-governance-koica-s-evolving-role-in-central-asia", "canonical_source": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/20260916/from-vocational-training-to-ai-governance-koicas-evolving-role-in-central-asia?utm_source=rss", "published_at": "2026-09-16 03:02:04+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-16 03:07:14.793988+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy"], "entities": ["Korea International Cooperation Agency", "Uzbekistan", "Kyrgyzstan", "Kazakhstan", "Tajikistan", "Turkmenistan", "South Korea"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-vocational-training-to-ai-governance-koica-s-evolving-role-in-central-asia", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-vocational-training-to-ai-governance-koica-s-evolving-role-in-central-asia.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-vocational-training-to-ai-governance-koica-s-evolving-role-in-central-asia.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-vocational-training-to-ai-governance-koica-s-evolving-role-in-central-asia.jsonld"}}