Korea's participation in the Eurasian nation's nuclear power plant
construction project, an official said, a request expected to revive
suspended negotiations between the two sides.
Erdogan made the offer in summit talks with South Korean President Lee
Myung-bak held on the sidelines of the G-20 summit meeting in the
French city of Cannes, senior presidential press secretary Choe
Guem-nak said.
Lee welcomed the request and proposed to hold "substantive
negotiations," Choe said.
Last year, South Korea and Turkey held intense negotiations on the US$
20 billion project to build four nuclear reactors on Turkey's Black
Sea coast. But the negotiations were suspended after the sides failed
to work out key differences.
Japan had been expected to win the project. But Turkey's talks with
Japan have reportedly been halted since March's nuclear power plant
accident in Japan in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami.
South Korea is a global atomic energy leader that relies on nuclear
plants for about 40 percent of its electricity needs. The country has
also been trying to export nuclear power plants since Korean firms won
a massive contract in late 2009 to build four atomic power plants in
the United Arab Emirates.
During Friday's meeting, Lee and Erdogan also agreed to make joint
efforts to conclude ongoing negotiations on a free trade agreement
before the end of the year, Choe said. They also agreed to increase
cooperation in the defense industry, he said.
Comments