South Korea’s industrial base, including production lines in Ulsan and semiconductor hubs in Gyeonggi Province, is facing an existential threat after the Strait of Hormuz was paralyzed by an all-out war involving Iran, the United States and Israel, cutting off crude oil supplies bound for South Korea.
Turkey’s Embassy in Seoul held an emergency briefing on April 21 at its compound in central Seoul, presenting what it called an essential overland energy bypass route for the survival of the South Korean economy.
The session, led by Turkish Ambassador Murat Tamer, Commercial Counselor Ozlem Untez and Press Counselor Sercan Dogan, focused on positioning a “middle corridor” as a key lifeline for South Korea to circumvent the maritime blockade. Tamer described the crisis as a decisive fracture point in the international order and said turmoil in the Persian Gulf had exposed severe vulnerabilities in the global economy.
“The international environment we face today is taking on a form that goes beyond the existing concept of crisis,” Tamer said. Citing price pressures and supply-chain disruptions since hostilities began, he said South Korea’s industrial model — built on full reliance on sea access — should pivot immediately to Turkey’s established energy and logistics networks.
Ankara is offering to serve as a security anchor for South Korea through its pipeline infrastructure. Tamer cited the TANAP and TurkStream networks, which he said transport 30 billion cubic meters and 31.5 billion cubic meters of gas, respectively, and described them as stable gateways linking the Mediterranean and European markets.
Tamer warned that any disruption in the flow of goods would be devastating for both countries. “Korea’s miracle lies in finding technology, inventing it, refining it to make it attractive, and inserting it into production lines,” he said.
“Any disruption in this supply chain will hurt Korea, hurt Turkey, and hurt the whole world,” he added. Turkish officials urged South Korean companies to use Turkey not only as a market but as a strategic base for production and logistics.
Untez highlighted Turkey’s economic scale and workforce of more than 86 million, noting 2025 GDP growth of 3.6%. She pointed to global connectivity through Turkey’s customs union with the European Union as a key advantage.
“Thanks to the customs union with the EU, we can sell products to EU countries without any restrictions, tariffs or barriers,” she said.
She said Turkey is seeking to promote foreign direct investment as part of efforts to rebalance trade ties in which Seoul currently posts a sizable surplus. In 2025, South Korea exported $9.11 billion to Turkey, while imports totaled $2.0 billion. Untez also cited Turkey’s rise as a major exporter of unmanned aerial vehicles and pointed to potential cooperation in defense and green energy.
At the center of strategic cooperation is the Sinop nuclear power plant project. Tamer described it as a “100-year partnership” involving Korea Electric Power Corp. Negotiations on the plant — including 15 years of construction and 80 years of operation — have continued since President Lee Jae-myung’s visit to Ankara in November 2025.
Tamer said such projects are essential to repairing damage from the war. “This Middle East war will wound us and cause pain, but we must stitch up the wound so it does not remain a permanent scar,” he said.
Dogan said the embassy was pursuing a proactive communications strategy. “The Turkish Embassy in South Korea is the most media-friendly embassy in Korea,” he said, adding it was ready to communicate on any Turkey-related issue.
“Our door is always open. I, too, am personally always ready for anything related to Turkey,” he said.
Turkey also pointed to the potential operation of the port of Ceyhan as an alternative route for Iraqi crude. The 960-kilometer Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, used to transport energy to a Mediterranean terminal, resumed operations on March 18, 2026.
The embassy said technical teams from both countries would continue coordinating how to scale up the route to bypass the unstable Persian Gulf. The teams aim to increase integrated transport capacity to 350,000 barrels a day in the coming months.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.