"We believe that the martyrs don't die, they live among us. I told him, from my heart, in the 1950s our soldiers came here to aid their Korean brothers and sisters and about 1,000 of them lost their lives and 442 of them are at rest in Busan, where we consider their second home," he said. "It was a very touching, emotional moment. Tamer added that Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik paid a visit to the Turkish embassy with a group of veterans to offer their condolences to the quake victims and deliver donations collected from the ministry and related organizations. We are very much grateful to have Korean brothers and sisters," he said. This is something that words become a reality to me. "When I tell people that I'm from Turkey, they show sympathy. The ambassador expressed his amazement at the outpouring of support from Koreans, ranging from President Yoon Suk Yeol to ordinary citizens, who have been calling the embassy to inquire about ways they can contribute and donate to Turkey. 7, while there are plans to send a second wave of rescue workers as well as additional relief supplies. Korea has offered $5 million in emergency humanitarian assistance and sent an initial batch of 118 rescue workers to Turkey, Feb. Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin, left, shakes hands with Turkish Ambassador to Korea Murat Tamer during his visit to The Korea Times in central Seoul, Tuesday. It's why we are so happy that our Korean brothers and sisters are offering us so much help and also the international community."ĭespite the aid coming from all around the world, healing from this disaster will take time and leave lasting scars on Turkey, the ambassador added. "The (Turkish) government is doing the best it can do with their resources, but this is not something that any country can handle by itself. Almost 100,000 people are wounded and about 10,000 houses are completely demolished, most of them not livable, too dangerous to go in," Tamer said, adding that the size of the quake-affected area is larger than the size of South Korea. "We lost over 33,000 people and the numbers are rapidly going up. The ambassador briefly shared the situation in Turkey, hit by a "horrible natural disaster." It's not you will not understand that feeling from the distance, but once you come to Korea and see (Korean's response), it's unbelievable and it is very meaningful to us."ĭuring the 1950-53 Korean War, Turkey was one of the countries that sent soldiers to South Korea as part of the United Nations Command, which helped to strengthen the diplomatic relations between the two countries in the years that followed. "You have to come to Korea to understand that feeling. But when the earthquake happened, our brotherhood relations reached the second phase," the ambassador said during his visit to The Korea Times, Tuesday. "Prior to coming to Korea, I know that there's a brotherhood between our two nations, but I thought it was just lip service for what happened 70 years ago. The ambassador said the recent earthquake made him truly recognize the brotherly bond between Korea and Turkey. Tamer added that the outpouring of help has "reopened the pages" of their shared history. Turkish Ambassador to Korea Murat Tamer conveyed his appreciation for the assistance provided by the Korean people for his country, which was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week.
Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulĮnvoy expresses gratitude for Korea's rapid response to disaster Turkish Ambassador to Korea Murat Tamer speaks during his visit to The Korea Times in central Seoul, Tuesday.
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