"South Korea will invite more young students of Uzbekistan to the country so they can make friends with Korea’s college students and improve mutual understanding of the other side," the president said in a speech in a meeting with collegians at Uzbekistan’s University of World Economy and Diplomacy.

The meeting, also attended by Uzbek President Islam Karimov, came shortly after the South Korean president was presented with an honorary doctoral degree for his leadership and contribution to improving ties between Korea and the Central Asian nation.

Nearly 100 students of the university’s 1,300 students are currently taking Korean language classes, while some 13,000 nationwide are studying the language, according to South Korean officials.

Lee said a "new silk road," which he proposed earlier during a luncheon speech, would strongly connect the two countries politically and economically, placing them at the centre of the world.

"Uzbekistan, which is at the centre of the Eurasian continent, will become the centre of this "new silk road of the 21st century" that will link Europe to the Far East," he told the students.

To this end, Lee said both South Korea and Uzbekistan must pursue development based on low-carbon and environmentally friendly growth.

"I am completely convinced green growth is the way to save the earth and mankind and, at the same time, save countries that are struggling against poverty and underdevelopment," Lee said.