Lee holds summit with Romanian president, jokes about visiting Dracula's homeland

President Lee Jae Myung met with Romanian President Nicusor Dan on Wednesday (local time) on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, discussing ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in defense and nuclear energy.

At the meeting, Lee said Romania is "a truly important partner for South Korea," noting that progress has been made in trade and the defense industry.

He went on to say that the local production of the K9 self-propelled howitzer in Romania holds particular significance. "I think it is especially meaningful that the K9 will now be produced locally," he said.

Earlier this year, Hanwha Aerospace broke ground on a local factory in Dâmbovița County, Romania, to produce the K9 and other equipment.

Lee stressed that the focus should be on substantive cooperation — not a transactional buy-and-sell relationship. "The emphasis is on joint development, co-production and advancing together into third-country markets," he said.

Dan said bilateral ties are "very good" and that "a lot of interesting investment is taking place."

He added that Hanwha is pursuing a defense project set to launch in early next year, and that there are "interesting developments" on the nuclear energy front as well. Dan said South Korean companies are participating in the refurbishment of two existing nuclear power plants in Romania, with two additional new plant construction projects also under way.

Lee said there is ample room to deepen practical cooperation not only in defense but also in nuclear energy and other areas, and extended an open invitation. "You are welcome to visit South Korea, or I could visit Romania," he said.

When Dan extended an invitation to Romania, Lee quipped that he "must go at least once to find out whether Dracula really exists" — drawing laughter from both leaders.