Fraternal Bond of Korea and Turkey
Historical Perspective of the Relations (Brother Countries)
In today's blog, we will talk about the historical, commercial and cultural relations of the two countries that call themselves "brother countries", Considering they do not have similarities with each other in terms of neighbors or history. When we look at the histories of the two countries, although they are far from each other geographically, share the same language and history, and there are many cultural differences, the history of these two countries actually intersects in the past due to the help of the ancestors of the two countries in the past. The Goguryeo, a Korean kingdom, supported and aided by the Gokturks against China can be given as an example for the contact in ancient times.
Later, in 1949, Turkey's recognition of Korea and during the Korean War between 1950-53, the term "brother country" emerged between these two countries when Turkish Military Units went to Korea with other NATO countries, suffered losses and fought for the sovereignty and independence of Korea. 721 of 14,936 Turkish Soldiers lost their lives in this war, and Turkey had a 22% casualty rate during the war, along with other casualties. After this war, the ties between the two countries strengthened and they continued to stand by each other in every disaster and difficult situation.
Economic Relations (Strong Partnership)
As we look at the economic relations between the two countries, the two countries are represented on the same platforms in the international communities. Both South Korea and Turkey are UN, OECD, WTO, MIKTA, and G-20 member states.
In addition to the previous commercial agreements between the two countries, the Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2013, allowing the trade of goods and products without the extra tax burden, and as a result, the trade volume between the two countries further expanded. Currently, the trade volume between the two countries is different from 7 billion dollars for now. We see that Turkey's import amount with South Korea is 6.6 billion dollars and its export rate is 585 million dollars. The economic cooperation shows us that the two countries have strong and tight ties in the economic sense as well as their historical ties, and that they are partner countries in both senses.
Cultural Relations (Similarities of Different Cultures)
When we look at the cultural relations of these two countries, we can say that the two cultures are very different from each other but same in some ways. In general, the two countries come across with their own unique cultures, so both cultures have a lot to offer us. In the cultural sense, aside from food cultures, the elderly are generally highly respected in Turkish and Korean culture, as an example of behavior in society.
In both cultures, a lot of importance is given to the family and a sense of responsibility towards the society in general is assumed. Furthermore, even the languages of these two countries, Turkish and Korean, are similar to each other in terms of language structure, sound of some letters (ç,ş,k) and even their some words!
What is more, these two countries faced each other for the 3rd place match at the World Cup held in Korea in 2002, and after the match, the two teams greeted the fans hand in hand. This is actually example of how both countries see each other in terms of their bond and relations. In addition to these, Korea-Turkey anniversaries are also celebrated with various events every year.
By: Abdullah Yayla
Sources:
https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2259776
https://www.zraporu.com/yatirim/guney-korenin-turkiye-aski-bir-baska/
https://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkiye-guney-kore-siyasi-iliskileri.tr.mfa
