President Lee Jae-myung paid a state visit to Türkiye on the 24th local time and held a 103-minute summit with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in nuclear power, defense, and construction.
From 4:57 p.m. to 6:06 p.m. that day, for 1 hour and 9 minutes, President Lee held a small-group meeting with President Erdogan accompanied by aides. They then met for an additional 34 minutes in an expanded session with more participants.
Emphasizing Korea's technological prowess, President Lee was said to have asked the Turkish government for interest and support for our corporations' entry into the local market.
In particular, on the occasion of this summit, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on nuclear cooperation. As Türkiye is pushing to build a nuclear power plant in the Sinop region, Korea is expected to gain an advantage among negotiating countries.
Specifically, the MOU between Korea Electric Power Corporation and the Turkish Electricity Authority includes cooperation on ▲ reactor technology ▲ site evaluation ▲ regulation and licensing ▲ finance and business models ▲ implementation of nuclear power plant projects. The formation of a joint working group for this was also included in the MOU.
The two countries also signed MOUs in the fields of veterans affairs and road infrastructure. The veterans affairs MOU covers enhanced honors for Turkish veterans of the Korean War and revitalized exchanges among their descendants, while the road infrastructure MOU calls for strengthened cooperation between the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC), the Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND), and Türkiye's General Directorate of Highways.
The presidential office said it "laid the groundwork for Korea to participate from the early stages, including nuclear site evaluation," adding, "It could increase the participation of Korean corporations in large-scale road construction projects to be ordered by Türkiye's General Directorate of Highways."