Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung held a joint press conference after one-on-one and delegation-level talks at the Presidential Office in Seoul. During the visit, the two countries signed four agreements, including documents between their energy ministries.
Erdoğan said they had discussed steps that would advance cooperation in many areas “dynamically and with a focus on the future.” He said economic and trade relations were among the leading topics of the talks, adding that they had discussed steps to bring bilateral trade, which exceeded $11 billion last year, to the previously set target of $15 billion in a balanced and sustainable manner. The two leaders also discussed updating the free trade agreement in line with current conditions. Erdoğan noted that more than 400 Korean companies operate in Türkiye.
New defense projects after Fırtına and Altay
Erdoğan said the defense industry was “one of the leading areas in which our strategic partnership has produced concrete results,” emphasizing the need to increase the number of successful joint projects such as the Fırtına howitzer and Altay tank. Lee said they had agreed to identify new areas of cooperation in the defense industry based on the success of the Altay tank project, and would seek ways for companies from the two countries to jointly enter third-country markets by increasing joint production and technology cooperation.
Lee recalled that the two countries’ joint defense and logistics committee met in July and that a letter of intent was signed in the naval field in September.
Agreement on nuclear power plant financing
Lee announced that a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in financing nuclear power plant projects had been signed during the visit, and said they had also discussed supporting the participation of Korean companies in Türkiye’s new nuclear power plant project. Erdoğan said nuclear energy and mining were among the important topics of the talks, adding that the memorandum signed between TÜNAŞ and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) in November 2025 had laid the groundwork for this cooperation.
The signed documents also included memoranda of understanding on science, technology and innovation covering artificial intelligence, advanced communications technologies and advanced materials, as well as on natural resources and mining. The two countries also agreed to establish the Korea-Türkiye Energy Transition Forum to cooperate on clean energy, hydrogen and renewable energy, and to create an intergovernmental channel on critical mineral supply chains.
“Türkiye is our people’s blood brother”
Referring to the Korean War, Lee said, “Türkiye is our people’s blood brother,” adding that today’s Republic of Korea owed its existence to approximately 20,000 Turkish soldiers who fought for freedom and peace on a distant front whose name they did not even know.
Erdoğan also emphasized that the sacrifices made by Turkish soldiers for Korea’s independence 76 years ago had transformed relations between the two countries into a bond of brotherhood in blood. Recalling that the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations would be celebrated next year, Erdoğan said they would continue developing relations with Korea, which he described as “our friend, blood brother and strategic partner,” in every field, and that special events were being planned for the anniversary.
Emphasis on dialogue on the Korean Peninsula
Erdoğan said the two countries’ views largely converged on international issues, adding that they supported a dialogue-based approach aimed at lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Lee said Türkiye had reiterated its support for South Korea’s policy toward North Korea, and that they had also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and the situation in the Middle East. The two leaders expressed their determination to maintain cooperation on multilateral platforms such as the UN, MIKTA and the G20.
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