South Korea, Turkey deepen nuclear and defence ties

South Korea and Turkey agreed to deepen cooperation in nuclear energy and defence during a summit between their leaders in Seoul on Tuesday.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said cooperation on Turkey's planned Sinop nuclear power plant was progressing and that a new memorandum would support South Korean companies' participation in nuclear power projects.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said documents signed on nuclear energy would take cooperation further, building on a November 2025 memorandum on the Sinop project.

Lee said the countries also agreed to expand joint defence production and technology cooperation, and to explore opportunities for companies from both countries to enter third-country markets together. He did not give further details.

Erdogan said defence was an area where the countries' strategic partnership had produced results and said they had underlined the need to increase successful joint projects.

Bilateral trade between Turkey and South Korea reached a record $10.7 billion last year. The countries' free trade agreement took effect in 2013.