“The Korean War is a very important turning point in our relations. Historians say Koreans and Turks are from the same family in terms of history and linguistics. They state that we were born somewhere in Central Asia, some moved far east and became the Korean people and the others moved to Anatolia and became the Turkish people. Thus, the Korean War was the reunion of the family,” said South Korean Ambassador to Turkey Bae Jae-Hyun in an interview with Sunday’s Zaman.South Korea and Turkey have enjoyed warm ties since Turkey sent 5,000 troops to help South Korea as part of a United Nations force during the 1950-53 Korean War. Turkish troops earned recognition from the US Congress and the South Korean president for their successful defense during the Battle of Kunuri, in which Turks acted as a rear guard and allowed other UN forces to withdraw after being taken by surprise by a larger Chinese force. Some 721 young Turkish soldiers sacrificed their lives in the war.
Recalling that South Korea sent aid workers to help the Turkish people after the tragic earthquake in 1999 and that citizens of Korea wholeheartedly supported the Turkish national team during the 2002 World Cup, Ambassador Bae expressed pleasure over the current course of affairs in bilateral relations between his country and Turkey, which he called “close and lively.”
“But I don’t think that this is enough, so my job is to encourage the improvement of our relations for the future. We have more room to develop; to do that, I think we have to understand each other. Because of geographical distance we don’t have as much contact as you have with your neighboring countries. One of my priorities is to have more visibility; yesterday’s Korean food festival was one of the events which I had in mind,” Bae said, referring to an activity held in Ankara earlier this week.
“Next year is very important in terms of history because it marks the 60th year of Turkey’s participation in the Korean War. In Korea, 60th anniversaries are very important. If you understand oriental philosophy, 60 is one cycle of life. Since people died very young in the past, reaching 60 years is a blessing,” the ambassador said, using the word “whan kap,” which means “the return of the beginning.” In oriental philosophy, the 60th anniversary is an auspicious event, representing the full life cycle of a person.
Tangibility and opportunities
“We plan to hold many cultural events in Turkey next year to show our respect and appreciation for the Turkish people. One of the events is a football match between military teams of the two countries. Matches will be in İstanbul and Ankara as well as in Korea. In addition we are going to have some music concerts, painting exhibitions and Korean traditional exhibitions not only in Ankara and İstanbul but also in provinces such as İzmir, Kayseri, Mersin and Şanlıurfa,” Bae explained, while noting that he would also initiate the renovation of the Korean War Veterans Monument in Ankara while also putting some new objects in the park surrounding the monument in order to make it a more citizen-friendly place.
All of these activities may also be considered efforts in line with the goal of a committee established in South Korea last January as an office under the president. The South Korean government established the National Brand Committee as a means to improve Korea’s national brand value.
Seoul, meanwhile, hopes to host President Abdullah Gül next year as part of the celebrations mentioned by Bae. Then-South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun had paid a landmark visit to Ankara in April 2005.
Fifty-five years after the war, Roh, on the first presidential visit to Turkey since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1957, had thanked Ankara for its past contributions.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, meanwhile, is expected to visit Seoul in November 2010 to participate in a G-20 summit.
Speaking of the G-20 visit, Bae pointed out that he wasn’t satisfied with the bilateral trade volume between the two countries, which stands at around $4 billion.
“There is almost no economic visibility of Turkey in Korea. Although we have many Korean companies here, you don’t find any Turkish investments in Korea. Since Korean people have very good feelings towards Turkey and Turkish people, there is a solid background which would be attractive for Turkish investment. I think that this is partly your fault, and this is for Turkey to realize. Maybe you can send some delegation -- I hope so,” Bae said.
The ambitious ambassador explained he has planned to arrange a big business forum of South Korea and Turkey next year. He said he doesn’t want the forum to be a “protocol” meeting but rather wants it to serve as a tangible and practical venue for the gathering of South Korean and Turkish CEOs.
“Turkey is a land of opportunity for Koreans. One important factor is that Turkey is very stable in terms of politics and the economy. The current government greatly stabilized the country and thus attracted investments. You’re on the right track,” Bae remarked, while noting that he found arguments suggesting the presence of a shift in Turkey’s foreign policy orientation as an “overreaction.”
“In the past Turkey was leaning too much towards the West. Now Turkey -- for its own benefit -- is playing a more constructive role in regional affairs. They are mending fences with neighboring countries, and they are improving relations with neighboring countries. I also appreciate its role as a mediator in the region.
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