By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Contrary to reports, no Turkish government official plans to visit Korea in connection with a nuclear power plant in Turkey, a diplomat from the Turkish Embassy in Seoul told The Korea Times.
The diplomat who refused to disclose his identity said the embassy was informed that neither the Turkish energy and natural resources minister nor any government official would visit Seoul.
A local business daily had reported that the Turkish minister will be in town shortly to discuss a nuclear construction project.
The report was made after a consortium led by the Korean Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) won a $ 40 some billion-worth nuclear power plant construction deal in the United Arab Emirates late last year.
The diplomat said, ``As far as I know, it's Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, who is going to visit Turkey in the near future.'' A spokesperson at the ministry denied this.
Turkey is seeking to build four nuclear plants each of which costs about $5 billion, along the Black Sea coast and bidding is expected before June.
It is quite obvious that South Korea is eyeing providing nuclear reactors to Turkey.
A KEPCO spokesman recently told the AFP that ``Nothing has been decided, but we plan to bid for a nuclear power plant project in Turkey.''
Turkey's project is appears to be drawing a lot of attention. Corporations from the United States, France, Canada, Russia, and China are known to have expressed interest.
Turkey is not only a producer of oil and natural gas but also a big consumer. Its power mainly comes from imports from Russia and other countries.
The idea of having a nuclear plant as an energy source has been around since the 1960s, yet was turned down for cost and security reasons.