Turkish, Korean Veterans Reunite After 58 Years
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Two Korean War veterans, a Turk and a Korean, reunited last week at the Turkish ambassador's residence in Seoul.
Rahim Gunay, 78, was thrilled to see today's Korea. "When I first came, everything was destroyed. People were hungry. But it is hard to believe that it's Seoul. Unbelievable,?" Gunay said.
So were 16 other veterans who were with him at the ambassador's residence in Hannam-dong.
Gunay could immediately recognize Paik Sang-ki, 77, his fellow Korean soldier who interpreted for the Turkish brigade during the 1950-53 war.
They hugged and engaged in talks in retrospect of one year they spent together in northern Gangwon Province in 1950.
Paik had a dramatic turn in life after the engagement with Turkey during the war.
He was invited to study at a college in Turkey after the war. Then, he began his diplomatic career, working at the Korean Embassy in Ankara for the next 24 years. Now, he is working at the Turkish Embassy in Seoul as a voluntary advisor.
Turkish Ambassador Deniz Ozmen said, "they, Turkish veterans, are not just surprised by the economic achievements that Korea has made. They are truly happy about it."
Turkish veterans' visit to the residence has become a regular part of their Korean trip itinerary.
Last year, the ambassador also had a handful of Turkish veterans and their families come over to the same place. He said it was a small way of paying tributes to the young Turkish men who fought for the country with which Turkey now enjoys great friendship.
The veterans' trips are organized and sponsored by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and nearly 700 veterans from 21 countries visit Korea every year.
Jeon Yoong-jin, an international cooperation officer at the ministry, said trips for foreign veterans are a token of appreciation from the Korea government to the veterans and their families.
The ministry is pushing to extend the program, for example, honoring them by visiting the countries of veterans who are too old to travel.
Twenty-one countries sent troops during the Korean War. Turkey dispatched 15,000 soldiers. Of them, nearly 1,000 were killed in action during the war, according to government statistics.