On September 15, high-level talks took place in Seoul between President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung.
The official program of the state visit covered key aspects of bilateral cooperation: the President of Turkmenistan held a series of meetings with the leadership of the Republic of Korea, the parties signed a major package of intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents, and a solemn ceremony was held to confer an Honorary Doctorate of Political Science from one of Korea’s oldest universities, Sungkyunkwan University, upon Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
Prior to meeting with the President of Korea, the Head of Turkmenistan paid tribute to the heroes at the Seoul National Cemetery of the Republic of Korea. Laying a wreath there, the President placed wooden sticks into a special urn as a sign of respect for the traditions of the Korean people. Following the ceremony, he signed the Distinguished Guests’ Book and proceeded to the Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae), the official residence of the President of the Republic of Korea.
Turkmen-Korean Summit Talks
The negotiations began in a restricted one-on-one format. As President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted, Turkmenistan attaches great importance to the consistent expansion of bilateral relations. Today, the Republic of Korea, with which interaction is steadily developing based on mutual respect, stands as one of Turkmenistan’s key partners in the Asia-Pacific region.
The talks then continued in an expanded format with the participation of the official delegations of both countries.
Turkmenistan is an economically powerful state possessing vast natural resources, President Lee Jae Myung stressed. As highlighted, the implementation of large-scale joint projects demonstrates not only a high level of industrial cooperation, but also serves the interests of both states and their peoples.
President Lee reaffirmed the Republic of Korea’s interest in further enhancing cooperation with Turkmenistan.
He also expressed gratitude to the Turkmen side for the support and assistance provided in facilitating the safe transit of South Korean citizens through Turkmenistan during the crisis in the Middle East.
In turn, the President of Turkmenistan noted the mutual support of the two countries in the international arena, emphasizing that Korea consistently supports resolutions initiated by Turkmenistan at the UN General Assembly.
In this context, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov thanked the Government of the Republic of Korea for its support and co-sponsorship of the Resolution “Year of International Law, 2028.”
The upcoming year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea. President Berdimuhamedov proposed celebrating this significant date solemnly in both countries.
A special place in the bilateral dialogue is assigned to trade and economic cooperation. As President Berdimuhamedov stated, Turkmenistan highly values the activities of Korean companies in the Turkmen market, where a number of strategically important projects have been implemented with their participation.
A significant portion of public transport in Turkmenistan comprises buses and passenger cars manufactured in Korea. In addition, cooperation with Korean enterprises in shipbuilding has been established.
The President confirmed Turkmenistan’s keen interest in developing partnerships across key sectors, including investment, trade, energy, industry, the chemical sector, rail transport, artificial intelligence, science and technology, water resources management, and environmental protection.
In the field of transport, the Head of Turkmenistan highlighted broad prospects for partnership. Turkmenistan views the Republic of Korea as an important partner in the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, Turkmenistan, together with its partners, is building an extensive network of transport, transit, and logistics infrastructure along the East–West and North–South corridors. In this regard, Turkmenistan welcomes the participation of Korean companies in these projects.
Turkmenistan also attaches special importance to developing bilateral relations in the humanitarian field, including education, culture, healthcare, and tourism. Notably, on September 16, the opening ceremony of the Days of Culture of Turkmenistan will take place in the Republic of Korea.
In conclusion of his speech, President Berdimuhamedov extended an invitation to President Lee Jae Myung to visit Turkmenistan next year.
Signed Documents
Following the high-level talks, in the presence of the Presidents of the two states, an exchange ceremony of bilateral documents was held, including:
- Agreement between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Republic of Korea on the Promotion and Protection of Investments;
- Agreement between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the “Türkmenhimiýa” State Concern and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in the Chemical Industry and Industrial Construction;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the State Committee of Water Management of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Water Resources Management;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in the Field of Youth;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan and the Korean Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Korea on Comprehensive Cooperation in the Field of Intellectual Property;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Adalat (Justice) of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Law and Justice;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Prosecutor General’s Office of Turkmenistan and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Combating Transnational Organized Crime;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan and the Korea Customs Service of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Border Intellectual Property Rights Protection;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan and the National Police Agency of the Republic of Korea on Police Cooperation;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Infrastructure;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Railway Transport of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Railway Transport;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan and the Korea Forest Service of the Republic of Korea on Digital Forest Restoration and Cooperation in Combating Climate Change.
Also, within the framework of the visit, the signing of bilateral documents took place, including:
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Turkmenbashi Complex of Oil Refineries and YUHANTECH CO., LTD in the field of maintenance innovation and production efficiency improvement;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Automobile Transport of Turkmenistan and Hyundai Corporation (Republic of Korea);
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Communications of Turkmenistan and LS Cable & System;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the State Committee of Water Management of Turkmenistan and Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. (Republic of Korea) on cooperation under the project “Reconstruction of existing water facilities on the 850–1,100 km section of the Karakum River and construction of new water facilities”;
- Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Open Joint Stock Company “Shipbuilding and Repairing Yard ‘Balkan'” and Yousung Co., Ltd (Republic of Korea);
- Memorandum of Understanding between the “Türkmenhowaýollary” State Service and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea;
- Cooperation Agreement between the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages and Kangwon National University;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Institute of Engineering, Technical and Transport Communications of Turkmenistan and the Institute of Global Innovative Research (Republic of Korea);
- Memorandum of Understanding between Oguz Han Engineering and Technology University of Turkmenistan and Korea University of Technology and Education (KOREATECH);
- Memorandum of Understanding between the International University for the Humanities and Development and Kyung Hee University;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the International University for the Humanities and Development (Turkmenistan) and Incheon National University (Republic of Korea);
- Agreement between the Scientific Center for Strategic Studies of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Asia Center of Seoul National University;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the International Science and Technology Park of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan and Seoul National University (Republic of Korea) in the field of science and academic cooperation;
- Cooperation Agreement between the State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH) and Yonhap News Agency (Yonhap);
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management and Sungkyunkwan University (Republic of Korea);
- Memorandum of Understanding between the State Cultural Center of the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan and the National Asia Culture Center of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea on cooperation in cultural exchange.
President of Turkmenistan Awarded Title of Honorary Doctor of Political Science by Sungkyunkwan University
As part of his state visit to the Republic of Korea, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov visited Sungkyunkwan University, one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions, founded in 1398.
The central event of the visit was a solemn ceremony during which the Head of the Turkmen State was conferred the high academic degree of Honorary Doctor of Political Science.
The decision to award the degree was made by a special committee of the University’s Graduate School Committee, and the diploma was presented to Serdar Berdimuhamedov by the President of Sungkyunkwan University, Yoo Ji-beom.
The leadership of the higher educational institution emphasized the significant contribution of the Head of Turkmenistan to strengthening political stability and economic development in Central Asia through his consistently pursued policy of positive neutrality.
The President’s personal achievements in implementing fundamental state reforms aimed at diversifying the national economy, accelerating the transition to a digital system, and modernizing the country’s industrial sector were also highlighted.
This honorary degree is awarded by the authoritative Korean university exclusively for outstanding contributions to the development of science, culture, and the strengthening of international dialogue. Since the establishment of this award in 1957, only 101 people have received it, including National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who was awarded the title in 2015.
During his remarks, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed that he accepts this award as a tribute of deep respect to Turkmenistan and testimony to the high level of Turkmen-Korean relations.
The Head of State noted the importance of developing direct contacts between the leading universities of the two countries, highlighting the successful academic partnership of Sungkyunkwan University with the International University for the Humanities and Development, as well as Oguz Han Engineering and Technology University of Turkmenistan.
Serdar Berdimuhamedov reaffirmed the need to deepen bilateral scientific and educational ties. Key priorities include expanding academic exchange programs, conducting joint research, and designing specialized curricula to train specialists in artificial intelligence, engineering, energy, and digital technologies.
Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Han Seong-sook Discuss Further Development of Turkmen-Korean Cooperation
As part of his state visit to the Republic of Korea, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Han Seong-sook.
During the meeting, the sides emphasized the importance of further strengthening bilateral relations and imparting fresh impetus to the inter-state dialogue.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that his visit is viewed as a major milestone in the development of Turkmen-Korean cooperation.
The Head of Turkmenistan stressed that the two countries are bound by longstanding relations of friendship, mutual respect, and trust. According to him, Turkmenistan regards the Republic of Korea not only as a reliable economic partner, but also as a key technological and innovation partner.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov highlighted the contribution of Korean companies to Turkmenistan’s economic development and underscored the country’s interest in continuing this partnership.
As Berdimuhamedov noted, Turkmenistan plans to implement a number of major projects, which opens up additional opportunities for interaction with South Korean partners in energy, transport and logistics, smart city development, water resources management, and other areas.
The President invited Prime Minister Han Seong-sook to visit Turkmenistan at a convenient time.
In turn, the Prime Minister of Korea expressed gratitude to Turkmenistan for its assistance in the safe evacuation of South Korean citizens and their family members from Iran.
Han Seong-sook also expressed hope for the further deepening of practical cooperation between the two countries through the expansion of Korean companies into Turkmenistan’s markets in the energy, infrastructure, transport, and logistics sectors.
Meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly
On September 15, in Seoul, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Cho Jeong-sik.
Cho Jeong-sik welcomed the President of Turkmenistan to the National Assembly and expressed hope that his visit would impart fresh momentum to relations between the two countries.
The Speaker of Parliament noted that following the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea have consistently developed high-level contacts, with bilateral ties expanding into a mutually beneficial partnership. He also emphasized the significant growth in economic cooperation, stating that trade volume between the two countries had increased more than fivefold since 2007.
Cho Jeong-sik paid special attention to prospects for cooperation in transport and logistics. He highlighted Turkmenistan’s “Revival of the Great Silk Road” initiative, which aims to strengthen the country’s role as a hub for Eurasian transport links, and declared the readiness of the South Korean Parliament to support practical cooperation leveraging the respective strengths of both nations—Korea’s technological capabilities and Turkmenistan’s natural resources.
The parties also noted the expansion of humanitarian contacts. The Speaker of the National Assembly welcomed the launch of direct air service between the two countries in July 2025 and the growing interest in Korean culture in Turkmenistan, both of which contribute to an increasing volume of people-to-people exchanges.
Cho Jeong-sik also expressed gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for assistance provided in the safe evacuation of citizens of the Republic of Korea and their family members from Iran in 2025 and 2026.
In turn, the President of Turkmenistan underscored the importance of further strengthening relations with the Republic of Korea and noted that bilateral cooperation is actively developing across various spheres, including culture, humanitarian ties, trade, and the economy.
Serdar Berdimuhamedov particularly highlighted the role of parliaments in fostering mutual understanding between nations and affirmed Turkmenistan’s readiness to advance inter-parliamentary cooperation across multiple areas. ///nCa, 16 September 2026 (based on TDH reports and press releases published by the official websites of the Republic of Korea)