Lee pays tribute to nat'l founder of Turkey during state visit to Ankara

President Lee Jae Myung, second from right, visits the mausoleum of Turkey's founding father and first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara, Turkey, Monday (local time). Yonhap

ANKARA — President Lee Jae Myung on Monday paid tribute to the late Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first president of Turkey, as the Korean leader began his official two-day state visit to Ankara aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation.

"In honor of Ataturk, we will move forward together for the shared prosperity of the brother country that shed blood alongside us," Lee wrote in a memorial book at the mausoleum of Ataturk. He then laid a wreath of white and red flowers, the colors of the Turkish flag, at the mausoleum.

Turkey sent the fourth-largest number of troops to the 1950-53 Korean War as part of the U.N. forces, contributing more than 21,000 personnel.

Ataturk is revered for implementing sweeping reforms that transformed Turkey into a modern and secular nation-state.

Later in the day, Lee is scheduled to hold summit talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace.