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South Korean officials bow before Turkish veterans in show of respect
South Korean officials bow before Turkish veterans in show of respect
An official delegation from South Korea has visited two Turkish veterans more than six decades after Korean War, bowing before them to show their nation’s long-standing gratitude. Click through for the story in photos...
Koo Bon Young, mayor of the South Korean city of Cheonan, and his delegation visited Ekrem Çakır and Ahmet Özkan at their apartments in Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported on July 30.
The delegation bowed down before both veterans and presented them gifts while stressing that their “heroism and sacrifices were not forgotten by South Koreans.”
“I was carried away by emotions when I saw our veterans here. I think that the brotherhood between our countries will continue in the future, too,” Young said.
The delegation was in Büyükçekmece to participate in the 19th Cultural and Art Festival organized by the district’s municipality.
In the emotional meeting, South Korean officials listened to the Turkish veterans’ memories from the Korean War, which ended on July 27, 1953.
The Korean War broke out when North Korea invaded the South in 1950, after a series of clashes along the border. The North was backed by the Soviet Union and China, while South Korea was backed by the United Nations.
Turkey joined the war with a total of 21,212 soldiers in four brigades, making it the fourth biggest contributor to the effort to defend South Korea. More than 700 Turkish soldiers were killed in Korea.
Credit: ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency
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