24.11.2025 19:37
President Erdoğan held a joint press conference with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who is on an official visit to Ankara. While Erdoğan and Myung signed six separate agreements, one of those agreements was the Sinop Nuclear Power Plant Project.
The President of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, who is on an official visit to Ankara, met with President Erdoğan. After the meeting, Erdoğan stepped in front of the cameras and signed the agreements for the Sinop Nuclear Power Plant Project.
SOUTH KOREAN LEADER IN ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed South Korean President Lee Jae Myung with an official ceremony. Following the bilateral meeting, Erdoğan and Lee held a joint press conference after the inter-delegation meeting and the signing ceremony of agreements. During the press conference, six agreements were signed between the two countries, one of which was the Sinop Nuclear Power Plant Project.
Highlights from President Erdoğan's statements are as follows:
"Mr. President, esteemed members of the delegation, and valued members of the press, I greet you with my heartfelt feelings and respect. First of all, I welcome my dear friend and his esteemed delegation. I had conveyed my congratulations to the President with a message after he took office in June, and we later had a phone conversation. He is a leader who has faced the challenges of life from a young age, walked steadfastly on the path he believes in, and earned the affection of the Korean people through his services to his country. I wish the President success in his high office once again in your presence.
PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN: WE BECAME BLOOD BROTHERS IN THE KOREAN WAR
We are also pleased that a state visit at the presidential level from South Korea is taking place after many years. I believe that we have further strengthened the strong ties between Turkey and South Korea through this visit. It makes us happy that Koreans, like us, refer to Turkey as a brotherly country. As you know, we fought shoulder to shoulder on the same front during the Korean War and became blood brothers. As Turkey, we sent nearly twenty-three thousand of our soldiers to lands thousands of kilometers away seventy-five years ago. On this occasion, we remember our martyrs and late veterans with mercy. We also salute the surviving Korean veterans with respect and gratitude.
Mr. President and his delegation will lay a wreath at the monument for Turkish soldiers who fought in Korea in Ankara tomorrow. I would like to thank them for their sensitive and kind approach. As you know, we established diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1957. In 2012, we established a strategic partnership between our countries. In 2027, we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations. Inshallah, we will crown this important milestone with various events and visits that we will organize together in different fields. Esteemed members of the press, my dear friend and I had comprehensive discussions today.
"WE DISCUSSED COOPERATION OPPORTUNITIES IN MANY AREAS"
We discussed cooperation opportunities in many areas, from trade to tourism, energy to defense industry, infrastructure to transportation, and from science and technology to mutual investments. There is significant potential in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, battery technologies, innovation, and renewable energy. Today, an important document foreseeing cooperation in the field of wind energy was signed between our private sectors. Likewise, an agreement was reached to implement a joint project in the field of plasma therapy with our Korean friends.
"WE WILL SUPPORT KOREAN COMPANIES INVESTING IN OUR COUNTRY"
We have come very close to the previously determined trade volume of 15 billion dollars with our second-largest trading partner in the Asia-Pacific, South Korea. We have already surpassed the 10 billion dollar threshold through our joint efforts. I also pointed out the need to review our free trade agreement for more balanced trade relations. We are very pleased that Hyundai will produce electric vehicles with its new investment at its factory in Izmit. With this investment, a new production process will begin in our country that will be completely domestic electric vehicles after our local and national brand TOG. I reiterate here that we will provide all kinds of support to Korean companies that will invest and create jobs in our country.
"WE WILL DIVERSIFY JOINT PROJECTS IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY"
We have signed important projects in the defense industry with our strategic partner South Korea to date. Our Altay Tank project is one of the most successful examples of this. As you know, the delivery of our national tanks to our army began last month. We aim to further diversify joint projects in this area. In our bilateral meeting, we discussed that we could take many steps in the defense industry with South Korea in the future. In addition, discussions are ongoing between our relevant institutions regarding the establishment of a nuclear power plant. I see the memorandum of understanding signed between Korea Electric Company and Turkey Nuclear Energy Corporation as an important step. We also agree with South Korea on combating terrorism.
Dear friends, we discussed not only our bilateral relations with the President but also regional and international issues, including Palestine, Ukraine, Syria, and the Korean Peninsula. We agreed to continue our cooperation in international and regional platforms, primarily the United Nations, G20, and MIGTA. On this occasion, I would like to express that we appreciate South Korea's successful presidency of MIGTA. At the G20 summit, the presidency of MIGTA was with the esteemed President. Indeed, we had a discussion regarding the handover there, and we took a family photo together. We were very pleased with South Korea's establishment of diplomatic relations with Syria last April."
South Korean Leader Lee also stated:
"On the 75th anniversary of Turkey's participation in the Korean War and coinciding with my first year in the presidency, I feel special meaning and great pleasure in visiting our brother country, Turkey. Despite the lack of diplomatic relations during the Korean War, the friendship we established with blood has laid a solid foundation for the rapid development of relations between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1950.
LEE: TURKEY IS IN A STRONG POSITION FOR KOREAN COMPANIES TO ENTER EUROPE
On this strong foundation, Korea and Turkey elevated their relations to the level of strategic partnership in 2012, and cooperation based on mutual interests has continuously deepened in a wide range of areas, including political, economic, cultural, and human rights interactions. Especially, Turkey, located at the intersection of Europe and Asia, has become a strong position for Korean companies to enter the European market. Today, in our discussions with President Erdoğan, we evaluated the agendas of cooperation based on our ancient friendship.
We comprehensively addressed issues aimed at elevating our strategic partnership to a more future-oriented and mutually beneficial level.
We comprehensively addressed the ways to deepen the solidarity between the two countries in the changing regional and international agendas. In this process, where both countries are striving to achieve a stronger position in the defense industry, we are determined to maintain our joint cooperation in defense, based on mutual trust, through common production, technology collaboration, and training contacts.
SINOP NUCLEAR POWER PLANT STATEMENT
We expect the proliferation of successful cooperation examples, such as in the Altay main battle tank project, to contribute to both the modernization of the defense industry capacities of the two countries and the preservation of regional and global peace and security. We are pleased that both governments will show the necessary information and support for the smooth progress of the negotiation and evaluation process regarding the Sinop nuclear power plant project. I hope that Korea's advanced nuclear technology and high capacity in safe operation will provide concrete contributions to Turkey's nuclear energy development process.
We are pleased with the participation of the Korean company SK Plasma in the project carried out in line with Turkey's domestic production target in blood products in the field of biotechnology. Considering the brotherly ties established through blood between the two countries, the significance of this project is even greater for us. On this occasion, I would like to once again thank President Erdoğan for your interest in the participation of the Korean company in this project.