By Ercan Canbolat
ANKARA (AA) – South Korea remains grateful to Turkey for its service during the 1950-53 Korean War, saving the East Asian country from communism, South Korean Ambassador to Turkey, Yunsoo Cho said Thursday.
Cho’s remarks came during an event in the Turkish capital commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“Turkey dispatched a lot of troops to serve in the Korean War, and saved Korea from turning into a communist country.
“It also provided education for the many orphans left behind. For this, we are grateful,” he said.
The Turkish Army had served during the Korean War between 1950 and1953 in support of South Korea, following an attack initiated by North Korea.
The ambassador also thanked the 2,365 Turkish veterans who fought during the Korean war. The war also left 966 Turkish martyrs, according to Turkish authorities.
Cho said the number 60 symbolized rebirth in South Korea, making this year’s anniversary even more meaningful.
He said the two countries had strengthened ties in various areas over the past 60 years, hoping for further development of bilateral relations.
According to the ambassador, there are currently 116 South Korean companies operating in Turkey and the two countries cooperated on several important projects including the recently opened Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge –also called the third bridge at the Bosphorus in Istanbul, and the Eurasia Tunnel Project, an underwater tunnel linking Istanbul’s Asian and European sides.
The ambassador also thanked Turkey for “immediately and strongly condemning” North Korea’s ongoing “provocations and threats” against the international community, and supporting Seoul in that regard.
Turkey’s Undersecretary of Culture and Tourism Omer Arisoy, for his part, said that the UN Memorial Cemetery at South Korea’s Busan city — where 462 Turkish martyrs are buried — was “a seal of friendship between the two countries”.
He said that the diplomatic relations established in 1957 had reached a strategic level in 2012.
Turkish Foreign Ministry’s East Asia Department’s Vice Chairman Hakan Kivanc as well as Anadolu Agency’s Editor in Chief of Foreign Languages Mehmet Ozturk were also present at the event.
