UDPATE - Turkish president receives South Korea's foreign minister in Istanbul

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By Diyar Guldogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday received South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin in Istanbul for talks.

The closed-door meeting was held on the sidelines of 16th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF), one of the world's largest defense events.

Erdogan expressed his pleasure over Park's visit to the fair, and extended an invitation to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said in a statement.

He said Türkiye wants to advance bilateral cooperation in a range of areas, including politics, energy, defense industry, economy and trade.

Efforts should be increased to reach the target of $15 billion bilateral trade volume, the Turkish leader added.

Ankara will not forget the solidarity Seoul showed after the Feb. 6 earthquakes in southern Türkiye, Erdogan said, expressing get well soon wishes following the flood and landslide disasters in South Korea.

Seoul's top diplomat is paying a three-day visit to Türkiye, where he will also meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss bilateral relations and current regional and global developments.

Political relations between Türkiye and the South Korea were established in 1949, and bilateral relations were upgraded to the strategic partnership level in 2012.

Türkiye was a major contributor to troops under UN command during the 1950-1953 Korean War.