South Korea’s Vice Minister for Diplomatic Strategy and Intelligence Jeong Yeon-doo said on April 18 that Ankara and Seoul had deepened cooperation in recent years across a widening range of fields, from the defense industry and energy to technology and infrastructure.
Jeong made the remarks on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which is being held on April 17-19.
Jeong said the relationship was rooted in the historic bond forged during the Korean War, describing the contribution of Turkish troops as a lasting sacrifice for peace and democracy on the Korean Peninsula.
In the joint declaration issued during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to Türkiye in November 2025, both sides said their close ties were rooted in the brotherhood formed during the Korean War and pledged to deepen their strategic partnership further.
That November visit gave fresh momentum to the relationship.
In their joint statement, Türkiye and South Korea said they wanted to expand cooperation in industry, manufacturing, infrastructure development and energy, while also stepping up work in science, technology and innovation, including AI and digitalization.
The two sides also agreed to deepen defense-industry cooperation and highlighted nuclear energy, renewable energy and civil aviation among the areas where ties could advance further.
Jeong said the two countries had already produced a success story in defense cooperation and pointed to the Altay main battle tank as one example.
Turkish officials have previously said the tank entered mass production using South Korean K2-derived technology and that South Korean-supplied power systems would support the Altay series until Türkiye’s domestic replacement matures.
He also said there was room to broaden cooperation into other advanced sectors, arguing that countries with similar outlooks should work together more closely at a time of rising global security and economic uncertainty.
