South Korea, Turkey agree to expand nuclear energy and defense cooperation South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed at a summit on Tuesday to expand nuclear energy and defense cooperation, including on one of Turkey's major power projects, Lee said. The leaders also agreed to work closely together in other areas including infrastructure, biotechnology and critical minerals, Lee told a joint news conference. Erdogan, who is on his first visit to South Korea since 2018, said he and Lee discussed ways to increase their bilateral trade volume from the previously agreed upon $11 billion to $15 billion, as well as updating their free trade agreement. "Both countries appreciate that the cooperation to build nuclear reactors in Sinop is progressing smoothly," Lee said. In an interview with Yonhap news agency on Monday, Erdogan said that South Korea could become a partner in the development of the Sinop project. South Korea and Turkey have major defense industries, and Lee said they would pursue joint defense exports to third countries, without elaborating. "The defense industry is one of the main areas where our strategic partnership has produced concrete results," Erdogan said. "During the meeting, we emphasized the need to increase the number of successful joint projects, such as Pirtina the Ovichers and the Altai Tank. Lee said Turkey confirmed its support for South Korea's policy toward North Korea and the leaders agreed to coordinate strategically on peace on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea, Turkey agree to expand nuclear energy and defense cooperation South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed at a summit on Tuesday to expand nuclear energy and defense cooperation, including on one of Turkey's major power projects, Lee said. The leaders also agreed to work closely together in other areas including infrastructure, biotechnology and critical minerals, Lee told a joint news conference. Erdogan, who is on his first visit to South Korea since 2018, said he and Lee discussed ways to increase their bilateral trade volume from the previously agreed upon $11 billion to $15 billion, as well as updating their free trade agreement. "Both countries appreciate that the cooperation to build nuclear reactors in Sinop is progressing smoothly," Lee said. In an interview with Yonhap news agency on Monday, Erdogan said that South Korea could become a partner in the development of the Sinop project. South Korea and Turkey have major defense industries, and Lee said they would pursue joint defense exports to third countries, without elaborating. "The defense industry is one of the main areas where our strategic partnership has produced concrete results," Erdogan said. "During the meeting, we emphasized the need to increase the number of successful joint projects, such as Pirtina the Ovichers and the Altai Tank. Lee said Turkey confirmed its support for South Korea's policy toward North Korea and the leaders agreed to coordinate strategically on peace on the Korean Peninsula.