Korea-Turkiye Exchange and Cooperation MOU Concluded
Korea and Turkiye have built a long-standing, close friendship. Turkiye is truly “Korea’s brother country,” having dispatched troops
during the Korean War. Since then, the two countries have reinforced their bilateral relations across different sectors, from culture to the
arts, education, and youth exchange, especially with the Free Trade Agreement that took effect in 2013.
In April this year, the two countries took a step further and concluded an MOU on cooperation for the joint protection of and research
on world cultural heritage. In the summer of 2024, research on the historic site of Kultepe began in earnest under Turkiye’s hot sun.
MOU to Protect Cultural Heritage
We achieved the feat of concluding the MOU in Turkiye this
past April, which legally defined our multifaceted support
for the Turkish government’s national heritage policy and is
expected to raise Korea’s national prestige as a cultural power
based on the possible expansion of cooperation with the EU
and other advanced nations. The Turkish Deputy Minister of
Culture and Tourism said, “We are taking our first important
step through the joint research on the historic site of Kultepe,
and I strongly believe that this step will lead us to expanded
exchanges and cooperation across diverse areas.”
Beginning of Joint Research in Full Scale
With the conclusion of the MOU, we were able to join in the
research on the historic site of Kultepe. The very first event we
participated in was the Kultepe International Meeting (August2~4, 2024), which featured the sharing of outcomes of recent
excavations and archaeological developments and presentations
by experts in history, linguistics, mineralogy, analytics, and
conservation science. Through 38 presentations in 10 sessions,
we set the direction for future excavations and research projects
based on past achievements.
During the meeting, on-site inspections of excavation sites of
the upper and lower towns of Kultepe, as well as the restored
areas of the lower town, were conducted jointly. In the upper
town, it was discovered that flat stone slabs and reddish sandy
clay were used as the base for structures. Such discoveries
add to the database that helps us identify different level design
patterns of structures built earlier and later. In the lower town, a
site with buildings with identifiable roof designs was discovered,
providing valuable information.
We will continue to work hard to uncover the long-buried
secrets of Kultepe using our exclusive technologies in
collaboration with top-tier heritage conservation and research
experts from around the world.
This excavation is expected to serve as another watershed to
further raise the status of K-heritage.
01 NRICH staff attending the 6th Kultepe International Meeting
02 Conclusion of the Korea-Turkiye Cultural Heritage Exchange and Cooperation MOU
03 Historic Site of Kultepe under excavation