Turkey -- brother nation of Korea
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By Yang Dong-hee
A total of 14,936 young soldiers from the Republic of Turkey, most of them volunteers, fought in the Korean War. This number is the fourth largest among the 16 countries that sent armies under the resolution of the United Nations.
One thousand and five brave Turkish soldiers died in battle or succumbed to severe wounds afterward, 165 were missing and 2,147 were wounded. In the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan, 462 Turkish soldiers are buried in peace.
Twenty years after the end of the Korean War, the Korean government dedicated the Korean Park in the Turkish capital of Ankara in memory of the Turkish soldiers. To the shame of many Koreans, many of us don’t even know of the existence of the park.
On July 18, 1950, the Turkish government summoned an emergency cabinet meeting, where they decided to participate with the United Nations forces in the Korean War. As many were inexperienced volunteers, American officers had to teach the Turkish soldiers how to shoot rifles during the 21-day voyage to Busan.
The Goguryeo Dynasty (BC 37-AD 668) in the Far East was in friendly relations with Turk (Turkey), fighting against the Tang and Sui dynasties of China. Turkish textbooks cite the regularly exchanged diplomatic missions between the two nations, calling each other ”brotherly countries.” Let alone the opinion leaders, every educated man and woman in Turkey is well aware of this historic fact.
Barely a month after their arrival in Busan, the Turkish army encountered the Chinese Red Army in South Pyongan Province, North Korea. It was a thousand-year-old echo of earlier hostilities between Turk and China. The two countries had continuously fought since 1,300 years ago seeking control of the northwestern prairie region of Asia.
History surely evolves. In the battle for the Korean Peninsula, the massive Chinese army was devastating United Nations forces led by the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division (2ID). Despite the sacrifices of more than half the 2ID soldiers, U.N. forces could retreat to the south, thanks to the life-threatening battle on the Turkish front, which lasted seven days and nights and claimed 15 percent of the Turkish forces fighting in Korea.
The opportunity for revenge came two months later in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. Turkish soldiers charged into the high mountain posts of the Chinese Red Army and succeeded in occupying them all with 1/40 the manpower of the Chinese forces.
This brave fighting of the Turkish soldiers was wired worldwide through UPI and other news services and received recognition from leaders of the U.S. and Korea. The people of Yongin showed their appreciation for the Turkish participation in the Korean War by erecting the Turkish Memorial Monument in their city.
Since the hostilities of the Korean War drew to a close in 1953, the Republic of Turkey has consistently supported the Republic of Korea's position in international politics. Though far apart they may be, the two countries have maintained a certain degree of camaraderie in many cases.
Turkish people call Koreans “Khan Kardes,” or brothers in blood. The structure of both countries’ languages is similar and their peoples are both born with the Mongolian spot on their back. The amicable relationship that started in the Goguryeo Dynasty continued throughout the Goryeo Dynasty (918 - 1392) and early Joseon Dynasty (1392 - 1897).
More than a few Turks and Uyghurs immigrated in the period of late Goryeo and early Joseon and were allowed to build mosques. Koreans called them “Whoewhoe-in.”
King Sejong the Great liked the Koran and held regular reading sessions (“Whoewhoe Johoe”) in the royal court. However, as Confucianism prevailed during the Joseon Dynasty, the two nations grew apart.
Then, 500 years later, as many as 15,000 young sons from Turkey suddenly, and unexpectedly, came to Korea just to fight for freedom as true “brothers in blood,” and so many lost their lives.
Turkey's territory is three times bigger than the Korean Peninsula and the total population is close to 80 million, with 220 million more living in neighboring countries. Turkey is referred to as the big brother of central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. It is not difficult to find Turkish people who would like to talk about the glory of the Ottoman Empire, once a global superpower whose reign stretched over three centuries.
Turkey now has a sizeable automotive industry, which produced over a million motor vehicles in 2012, and a strong shipbuilding infrastructure. Turkish brands like Beko and Vestel are among the largest producers of consumer electronics and home appliances in Europe.
Turkish journalists coming to Korea for the 1988 Seoul Olympics were highly disappointed to meet Koreans who did not know where Turkey is. After they returned home, a Turkish newspaper published an article titled, “No more one-sided love to Korea.”
“The attitude of the Turkish government and the general public turned cool after the Olympics,” a local journalist recollected. Then Korea co-hosted the World Cup in 2002.
The Turkish television viewers were deeply touched to see the extra-large (a little bigger than the Korean flag) Turkish national flag being unfolded in the stadium during the Korea-Turkey third-place playoff match. “My heart burst with joy to see the scene,” said one Turkish journalist. That display rekindled the flame of love towards Koreans in the hearts of the Turkish people.
The G20 Summit will be held in Antalya, Turkey, on Nov. 15 and 16. This will be President Park Geun-hye's first visit to Turkey as president. Perhaps she could crack a joke at the beginning of the bilateral dinner speech like this:
“Dear Khan Kardes, I was really worried about the outcome of the Turkey-Korea World Cup soccer playoff match in 2002. As I didn't want to lose our Khan Kardes again, I really prayed for my national team to lose. And they did.”
The writer, former reporter of The Korea Times,
worked 10 years at the Hankook Ilbo New York
and returned home to be in sports marketing and
show business. He was the first managing director
in Korea of the U.S.-based International anagement
Group.