South Korea, Turkey expand nuclear, defence ties — SkimNews
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- South Korea and Turkey agreed to expand collaboration on nuclear energy, focusing on the Sinop reactor project in northern Turkey, with both leaders confirming progress in talks.
- Turkey plans to build eight nuclear reactors—four in Sinop and four in Thrace—as part of its strategy to reduce reliance on imported energy, with South Korea competing for contracts.
- Lee Jae Myung and Tayyip Erdogan committed to increasing bilateral trade from $11 billion to $15 billion and updating their free trade agreement during Erdogan’s first visit to South Korea since 2018.
- South Korea and Turkey will pursue joint defence exports to third countries, citing existing collaborations like the Firtina howitzer and Altay tank projects as models for future partnerships.
- Hyundai Rotem has supplied most of Turkey’s trams since 2008 and is seeking additional rail project orders, while Hyundai Motor continues operating a 200,000-unit annual production plant in the country.
- Turkey reaffirmed support for South Korea’s North Korea policy, and both leaders agreed to coordinate strategically on advancing peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Why it matters: South Korea gains a strategic foothold in Turkey’s $20+ billion nuclear and rail infrastructure pipeline, while Turkey diversifies energy suppliers and strengthens defence ties beyond Western alliances. The $4 billion trade target increase signals deeper economic alignment between two major regional industrial powers.
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