Nuclear, defense, chips: New agenda for Türkiye-South Korea ties | Column
Daily Sabah · Nebi Miş ·
Türkiye and South Korea seek to turn historic friendship into strategic economic cooperation, deepening ties in technology, nuclear energy, defense and...
We are in Seoul, South Korea, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's delegation. Last November, South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung paid a state visit to Türkiye and most recently attended the NATO Summit. President Erdoğan, for his part, last visited South Korea in 2018. The Turkish delegation received a warm welcome in Seoul. The streets, where Turkish and South Korean flags fly side by side, also reflect the depth of the historic friendship between the two countries. Discussions of Türkiye-South Korea relations usually begin with an emphasis on the "historic brotherhood" dating back to the Korean War. During this visit, too, the same emphasis came to the fore in the opening remarks.
Relations between South Korea and Türkiye have always been strong on an emotional level. However, given the potential of both countries, this closeness has yet to translate into economic relations to the extent expected.
With the agreement signed in Ankara last year, both countries declared their intention to elevate bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership. Türkiye and South Korea have set a bilateral trade target of $15 billion. However, while Türkiye exports $1.14 billion worth of goods to South Korea, it imports $10.26 billion worth of goods from the country. Consequently, bilateral trade remains heavily imbalanced, with Türkiye facing a significant trade deficit.
Read the full story at Daily Sabah · All coverage of this story