SEOUL --The Turkish Embassy in South Korea celebrated the 100th anniversary of the creation of the republic at Shilla Hotel located in central Seoul on October 30.
"Today we waited so long to celebrate," Salih Murat Tamer, the Turkish Ambassador to South Korea said during his opening speech. "Korea is a very special country for us," the ambassador emphasized the relationship between Türkiye and South Korea, often recognized as the "blood bond" that was forged during the Korean War (1950~1953) when Türkiye deployed 21,212 soldiers to the Korean Peninsula.
More than 900 soldiers died during the war and the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in the southern port city of Busan bears 462 Turkish soldiers. The official diplomatic relationship between South Korea and Türkiye was tied in 1957. Now, the two countries recognize each other as a "brother country."
"We are also proud of the achievements of our blood brothers and sisters," the Turkish envoy said, also emphasizing that "Türkiye has also made great progress during its first 100 years" as a republic. Türkiye has become one of the world's leading countries with its democracy, industry, economy, and other development moves, Tamer said.
The envoy pointed out that South Korea and Türkiye are just ahead of very important investment moves that will bring the two countries closer to each other. "In the coming period, our bilateral relations will gain more momentum," the Turkish Ambassador to Seoul said.
South Korea's Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-shik attended Türkiye's centennial anniversary event as a special guest. "The achievements Türkiye has made over the past century are outstanding," the Veterans Affairs Minister said. Park added: "Korea is particularly happy about the prosperity of Türkiye because Türkiye is Korea's 'Kankardes,'" mentioning the Turkish term for "Blood Brothers."
In Istanbul, the centennial anniversary was celebrated by tens of thousands of people who rushed out to the streets on October 29 to enjoy concerts, street performances. Scores of people dressed in the Turkish flag's red and white colors visited Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's mausoleum in Ankara to commemorate the founding father of the Republic of Türkiye.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com