Korea, Turkey deepen Sinop nuclear plant cooperation at Seoul summit

Korea and Turkey agreed to deepen nuclear, defense and economic cooperation at a bilateral summit in Seoul on Tuesday. They signed an MOU to support Korean firms’ participation in Turkey’s planned Sinop nuclear project, and agreed to expand joint arms production and explore entering third-country markets together. The leaders also pledged to address trade barriers and coordinate on Korean Peninsula peace and international issues. Erdogan’s visit was his first state visit to Korea in eight years.

The Export-Import Bank of Korea and Turkey’s nuclear energy corporation signed the financing cooperation MOU, which provides for project information exchanges, financing feasibility assessments and identification of potential funding opportunities.

Turkey plans to build four reactors at Sinop on its Black Sea coast and aims to begin generating electricity there before 2035.

Bilateral trade reached a record $10.7 billion last year, following the free trade agreement’s entry into force in 2013.

Three additional MOUs cover science, technology and innovation; energy, natural resources and mining; and related cooperation, including exchanges on critical minerals and rare earth projects.

The science agreement promotes joint research and personnel and information exchanges in six fields, including AI, biotechnology, advanced telecommunications and materials.

Published Nov 3, 2026 6:41 pm KST

Updated Nov 3, 2026 8:46 pm KST

MOUs signed on nuclear financing, defense, critical minerals and biotechnology

President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before their expanded summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Korea and Turkey agreed to deepen cooperation on nuclear power plants during a bilateral summit in Seoul on Tuesday, signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support Korean firms’ participation in Turkey’s planned Sinop project.

President Lee Jae Myung and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also agreed to expand joint arms production, explore joint entry into third-country markets, boost trade and investment, broaden future growth cooperation and coordinate for Korean Peninsula peace and international stability.

“With this MOU, we will be able to proactively help Korean companies participate in new Turkish nuclear power plant projects,” Lee said at a joint press announcement after the summit at Cheong Wa Dae, referring to the agreement on nuclear project financing cooperation.

The MOU between the Export-Import Bank of Korea and Turkey’s nuclear energy corporation provides for project information exchanges, financing feasibility assessments and identification of potential funding opportunities.

It builds on a nuclear energy cooperation MOU signed during Lee’s state visit to Turkey in November 2025.

The Korean president said related work, including site assessments and a joint working group, was progressing smoothly.

Turkey plans to build four reactors in Sinop on its Black Sea coast as its second nuclear power plant, with a goal to begin generating electricity from the plant before 2035.

Ahead of his visit, Erdogan described Korea as “a great potential collaborator,” citing preliminary feasibility studies with the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp.

He said financing, electricity generation costs and benefits to Turkey’s economy would help determine its choice of partner.

President Lee Jae Myung and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by their officials, hold an expanded summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

On defense, Korea and Turkey agreed to build on the Altay tank project.

At a lower level bilateral committee meeting in July, the two countries agreed to explore new cooperation areas, followed by a letter of intent on naval vessel cooperation in September.

“Looking ahead, we agreed to further deepen defense industry cooperation by expanding joint production and technological collaboration and exploring opportunities for Korean and Turkish companies to enter third-country markets together,” Lee said.

They also pledged cooperation on major Turkish road projects under an MOU signed last year.

On trade, the two leaders agreed to address imbalances, import restrictions and customs clearance delays. Bilateral trade reached a record $10.7 billion last year, following their free trade agreement’s entry into force in 2013.

Furthermore, the two countries will continue working to resolve difficulties Koreans face obtaining Turkish work permits.

They also signed three further MOUs to expand cooperation in science, technology and innovation, energy, natural resources and mining.

The science pact promotes joint research and personnel and information exchanges in six fields, including AI, biotechnology, advanced telecommunications and materials.

Korea and Turkey will accordingly hold their first joint science and technology committee meeting.

The energy agreement covers exchanges on renewables, power grids and nuclear power, alongside a new energy transition forum to identify projects.

The resources pact supports information sharing on critical minerals and rare earth projects, advanced materials partnerships and digital mining cooperation to diversify supply chains.

In biotechnology, the two leaders backed construction of a plasma fractionation plant involving SK Plasma to support Turkey’s self-sufficiency in plasma-derived medicines.

On diplomacy, Turkey reaffirmed support for Seoul’s North Korea policies.

Both sides pledged cooperation for peace on the Korean Peninsula, coordination at the United Nations, G20 and MIKTA, and communication on Ukraine and the Middle East.

The summit preceded the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year.

“I will work closely with President Erdogan to faithfully implement today’s agreements and deliver tangible results for both our peoples,” Lee said.

It was Erdogan’s first state visit to Korea in eight years, with the meeting coming about four months after the two leaders met during the NATO summit in Ankara in July.

周二，韩国和土耳其在首尔举行双边峰会，同意深化核能、国防和经济合作。双方签署了一份谅解备忘录，支持韩国企业参与土耳其锡诺普核电站项目，并同意扩大联合武器生产，共同探索开拓第三国市场。两国领导人还承诺消除贸易壁垒，并在朝鲜半岛和平和国际问题上进行协调。埃尔多安此次访问是他八年来首次对韩国进行国事访问。

韩国进出口银行与土耳其核能公司签署了融资合作谅解备忘录，该备忘录规定了项目信息交流、融资可行性评估和潜在融资机会的确定。

土耳其计划在其黑海沿岸的锡诺普建造四座反应堆，目标是在 2035 年前开始在那里发电。

自2013年自由贸易协定生效以来，去年双边贸易额达到创纪录的107亿美元。

另外三份谅解备忘录涵盖科学、技术和创新；能源、自然资源和采矿；以及相关合作，包括关键矿产和稀土项目的交流。

该科学协议旨在促进人工智能、生物技术、先进电信和材料等六个领域的联合研究、人员和信息交流。

发布于2026年11月3日 下午6:41（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年11月3日晚上8:46（韩国标准时间）

就核能融资、国防、关键矿产和生物技术签署谅解备忘录

周二，韩国总统李在明在首尔青瓦台与土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安举行扩大峰会前握手。（韩联社）

周二，韩国和土耳其在首尔举行的双边峰会上同意深化在核电站领域的合作，并签署了一份谅解备忘录，以支持韩国企业参与土耳其计划中的锡诺普核电站项目。

李在明总统和土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安还同意扩大联合武器生产，探索共同进入第三国市场，促进贸易和投资，扩大未来增长合作，并为朝鲜半岛和平与国际稳定进行协调。

李在青瓦台峰会后的联合新闻发布会上表示：“通过这份谅解备忘录，我们将能够积极帮助韩国企业参与土耳其新建核电站项目。”他指的是关于核电项目融资合作的协议。

韩国进出口银行与土耳其核能公司签署的谅解备忘录规定了项目信息交流、融资可行性评估和潜在融资机会的确定。

它建立在李明博于2025年11月对土耳其进行国事访问期间签署的核能合作谅解备忘录之上。

韩国总统表示，包括实地考察和联合工作组在内的相关工作正在顺利进行。

土耳其计划在黑海沿岸的锡诺普建造四座反应堆，作为其第二座核电站，目标是在 2035 年前开始从该电站发电。

在访问韩国之前，埃尔多安称韩国是“一个极具潜力的合作伙伴”，并提及了与韩国国营电力公司进行的初步可行性研究。

他表示，融资、发电成本以及对土耳其经济的益处将有助于决定土耳其选择合作伙伴。

韩国总统李在明和土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安周二在首尔青瓦台举行扩大峰会，双方官员陪同出席。（韩联社）

在国防方面，韩国和土耳其同意继续推进阿尔泰坦克项目。

在7月份举行的较低级别的双边委员会会议上，两国同意探索新的合作领域，随后在9月份签署了关于海军舰艇合作的意向书。

李说：“展望未来，我们同意通过扩大联合生产和技术合作，进一步深化国防工业合作，并探索韩国和土耳其企业共同进入第三国市场的机会。”

他们还根据去年签署的谅解备忘录，承诺在土耳其重大公路项目上开展合作。

在贸易方面，两国领导人同意解决贸易失衡、进口限制和清关延误等问题。自2013年自由贸易协定生效以来，双边贸易额去年达到创纪录的107亿美元。

此外，两国将继续努力解决韩国人在获得土耳其工作许可方面面临的困难。

他们还签署了三项谅解备忘录，以扩大在科学、技术和创新、能源、自然资源和采矿领域的合作。

该科学协议旨在促进人工智能、生物技术、先进电信和材料等六个领域的联合研究、人员和信息交流。

韩国和土耳其将据此举行首次联合科学技术委员会会议。

该能源协议涵盖可再生能源、电网和核能方面的交流，同时还设立了一个新的能源转型论坛，以确定相关项目。

该资源协议支持关键矿产和稀土项目的信息共享、先进材料合作以及数字采矿合作，以实现供应链多元化。

在生物技术领域，两位领导人支持建设一座涉及 SK Plasma 的血浆分离厂，以支持土耳其在血浆衍生药物方面的自给自足。

在外交方面，土耳其重申支持首尔的对朝政策。

双方承诺在朝鲜半岛和平问题上开展合作，在联合国、二十国集团和MIKTA（乌克兰、中东和北非问题委员会）进行协调，并在乌克兰和中东问题上进行沟通。

此次峰会是在明年两国建交70周年纪念日之前举行的。

李说：“我将与埃尔多安总统密切合作，忠实地执行今天的协议，为我们两国人民带来切实成果。”

这是埃尔多安八年来首次对韩国进行国事访问，此次会晤距离两位领导人7月在安卡拉举行的北约峰会期间会晤大约四个月。