President Yoon Suk Yeol concluded his state visits to three Central Asian countries with a visit to the ancient city of Samarkand. Accompanied by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President Yoon explored historic sites such as the Registan public square, Gur-e-Amir, and the Ulugh Beg Observatory. During their visit to the Afrasiab Museum, they discovered a mural potentially linking South Korea and Uzbekistan 1,400 years ago. The visit to Samarkand was capped off with a social lunch hosted by President Mirziyoyev, who had previously served as the governor of the Samarkand region. President Yoon's trip to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan marked the first Central Asia trip by a South Korean leader in five years. During the visit, he discussed plans for a multilateral summit with Central Asian countries next year and oversaw the signing of over 90 documents. The trip aimed to strengthen minerals cooperation, increase development aid, and promote people-to-people exchanges as part of South Korea's K-Silk Road Initiative. However, the trip did not lead to an announcement of elevated diplomatic ties with any of the countries.