President Lee Jae Myung on Monday arrived in Ankara, Turkey, on a state visit for the last leg of his 10-day trip to Middle Eastern nations and the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Lee on Monday was set to visit the memorial mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first president of modern Turkey; hold a summit with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; and attend a state dinner hosted by his Turkish counterpart. Before departing on Tuesday, Lee will hold a flower-laying ceremony in the Korean War Memorial Park in Ankara and meet overseas Koreans in Turkey.
Lee's trip to Ankara is expected to deepen ties in the fields of defense, nuclear energy, biotechnology and the creative industries — areas in which the Lee administration has been keen to expand international cooperation.
During a press conference held Monday aboard Air Force One, Lee said he may seek cooperation with Turkey not only in the defense sector, but also nuclear energy, culture and tourism, recognizing that South Korea and Turkey both have strengths in those fields.
Regarding defense ties, as exemplified in the mass production of Turkey's main battle tank, Altay — the initial batch of which began production in September and uses power packs made by South Korean firms — Lee said during his flight that now is the time to ride the wave of growing demand in the defense industry, given that "unexpected and sudden changes might occur ... not only in the Middle East but also in other countries."
Asked about talks underway for South Korean firms to participate in the Sinop Nuclear Power Plant project on the northern shores of Turkey, Lee told reporters that he seeks to "clearly explain the excellence and competitive edge of South Korea's nuclear power plant industries."
"Beyond that, I believe there's plenty we can do," he added.
Lee's scheduled meeting with Erdogan follows just days after they met Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, along with leaders of middle-power countries from MIKTA, or Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia. At that meeting, Lee served as chair.
South Korea and Turkey have maintained a strategic partnership since 2012, and a free trade pact has been in effect between the two countries since 2013.
In an interview with Turkey-based news agency Anadolu, released Sunday, Lee highlighted Turkey's strategic position bridging Europe, the Middle East, Eurasia and Africa, describing the country as "an important hub in the Eurasian region."
Lee also described South Korea and Turkey as "brotherly nations bound by blood," recalling Turkey's dispatch of a ground force of some 4,500 soldiers to fight side by side with South Korea during the Korean War (1950-53).
The two countries' ties have since grown to encompass the fields of national defense, nuclear energy and other future-oriented industries.
In a move to foster people-to-people exchanges with Turkey, Lee said Seoul has worked to facilitate an streamlined immigration process for Turkish citizens traveling to South Korea by streamlining the process for group document submissions, expanding Turkish language support, and extending the validity of electronic travel authorization for visa-free tourists.
Before visiting Turkey, Lee traveled to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and South Africa during his trip, which started on Nov. 17. Lee returns to South Korea on Wednesday.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
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