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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Romanian President Nicușor Dan hold a bilateral summit at the NATO summit venue in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8 (local time). / Courtesy of Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung held a bilateral summit with Romanian President Nicușor Dan on July 8 (local time) on the sidelines of the NATO summit, discussing ways to expand cooperation in the defense and nuclear energy sectors. Highlighting the local production of K9 self-propelled howitzers, President Lee expressed his commitment to expanding bilateral ties beyond mere exports toward joint development, co-production, and joint entry into third-country markets.

The two leaders held their first bilateral summit in the afternoon at the NATO summit venue in Ankara, Turkey.

"Bilateral relations between our two countries are excellent, and many exciting investments are currently underway," President Dan said. "In the defense sector, Hanwha is moving forward with projects slated to begin early next year, and we are also seeing exciting progress in nuclear energy."

President Dan specifically raised nuclear energy cooperation as a key agenda item. "South Korean companies are participating in the modernization projects of two of our nuclear reactors, and we are also moving forward with the construction of two new nuclear power plants," he noted. "There appear to be numerous new opportunities emerging in our bilateral economic cooperation."

President Dan also extended an invitation for President Lee to visit Romania. "As we discussed last night, I sincerely hope that Mr. President will visit Romania in the near future," he said.

In response, President Lee remarked, "Since we already discussed so many topics last night, this formal bilateral meeting today doesn't feel like our very first encounter. Romania is truly a vital cooperative partner for South Korea."

He continued, "Progress is being made not only in trade but now also in the defense industry. The fact that the K9 howitzers will be produced locally holds special significance. In defense cooperation, our primary focus is not on a transaction-based relationship of buying and selling hardware, but on substantial cooperation that involves joint development, co-production, and entering third-country markets together."

Regarding the invitation to Romania, President Lee left the door open for reciprocal visits. "Moving forward, we aim to strengthen practical cooperation not only in the defense sector but also in nuclear energy and various other fields," he stated. "It would be wonderful whether President Dan visits South Korea, or I make a visit to Romania."

President Lee also lightened the atmosphere with a warm joke. "I definitely need to visit at least once to see for myself if Dracula really exists," he remarked, drawing laughter from the delegations of both nations.

                                                                                                        Park Young-hoon