[Editorial] A friend in need is a friend indeed

We must not forget the priceless support the Turkish people offered when we were struggling to survive in the aftermath of war.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake in southern Turkey has left more than 4,000 people dead or injured. Turkey, the birthplace of the ancient Anatolian civilization and a major tourism destination, also suffered massive damage to its precious cultural assets from an earthquake on par with the one in 1939 which took 33,000 lives. While the international community, including the United Nations, is trying to help the country to rescue possible survivors and provide relief packages for the people in need, our government also must take part in the global humanitarian assistance.

In a Cabinet meeting on Monday, President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the government to do its fair share to help Turkey, a country which sent troops to South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War to “help protect our liberty as a member of the UN forces without any hesitation.”

As Yoon mentioned, we must help Turkey recover from the earthquake. When North Korea invaded South Korea by surprise on June 25, 1950, Turkey immediately dispatched its armed forces to South Korea following the U.S. On July 25 that year, the Turkish government decided to send a brigade of combat soldiers, and 741 of them died in the battles. In the third place match of the 2002 World Cup cohosted by Seoul and Tokyo, a number of Korean audience members expressed heart-felt appreciation for Turkey’s help during the war by unfurling Turkey’s flags in the stadium.

Due to the Anatolia fault belt with four overlapping tectonic plates, Turkey is very susceptible for earthquakes. When 17,100 died from a 7.6 magnitude earthquake on August 17, 1999, Korea helped Turkey swiftly. Ten days after the quake, our Army chief of staff visited the country for the first time as a foreign general to console the distressed Turkish people. Such mutual trust led to the signing of defense contracts to export our KT-1 training aircraft to Turkey in 2007 and K-2 Black Panther tanks in 2008.

Turkey desperately needs rescue staffers, medical professionals and relief goods. After President Yoon’s order, our military is considering a dispatch of the KC-330 multipurpose transportation aircraft to Turkey. As the clock is ticking, it will be good if the government decides to send the cargo plane capable of a long flight without refueling.

In 2021, the United Nations Development Programme classified South Korea as an advanced country. We must not forget the priceless support the Turkish people offered when we were struggling to survive in the aftermath of war. We must take a leading role befitting the world’s 10th largest economy. A friend in need is a friend indeed.