Ceremony marks 60th anniversary of Seoul, Anakara ties

Time flies. This year, 2017, is the 60th anniversary of Turkish-Korean diplomacy. It's really impressive to maintain a friendly relationship for so long between two countries. For your information, Turkey is known as a “brother country” in Korea. This corresponds to the Turkish citizens' feelings, as well. In order to express these mutual feelings, during this whole year of 2017 many events varying from cultural to scientific, as well as fairs and other introductory events, will take place in many cities in Turkey. Some of the many aims are to introduce Korea and to increase collaborative projects between people, and also to point out the good diplomatic ties between the two countries. This will help to increase the awareness of the citizens. Making allies is one thing, but maintaining the relationship requires considerable effort and care. Both countries are worth praising in this regard. 

I was invited to the ceremony in Istanbul. Here, I would like to share some inside information about the celebratory event that took place at the Cemal Resit Rey Congress Center in Istanbul on March 7, 2017.

The deputy governor of Istanbul speaks at the event.

After the invited guests took their place, the ceremony started promptly. We were warmly welcomed by the consul general of Korea in Istanbul. In his speech, he mentioned our strong bonds, especially strengthened since the Korean War. He mentioned the emotional warm moments during the FIFA World Cup in 2002, demonstrating fair play to the last. He also mentioned the Korean people who chanted for Turkey to commemorate their third place finish. He said it was one of the most memorable moments of friendship between the two countries, setting a great model for the world. 

Following him, the deputy governor of Istanbul also gave a nice speech. He repeated the same inspiring moments in our shared history. He also mentioned the new Korean Language & Literature Department in the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul University. 

(Note: In another article of mine, I previously wrote about this. You may read it here: http://koreanetblog.blogspot.com.tr/2016/06/interview-with-head-of-korean-cultural.html)

VIPs stand for a commemorative photo during the ceremony. 

When the addresses were over, the invited guests came to the stage and a commemorative photograph was taken. Then, a taekwondo demonstration was held. The young taekwondo pupils were very cute and charming. They finished by holding up both the Korean and Turkish flags in both hands. This was very nice to see. The audience truly felt the warm friendly atmosphere. 

A taekwondo demonstration takes place during the ceremony.

After the official events were over, an open buffet in the hall upstairs was waiting for the guests. The offerings on the menu consisted of Turkish and Korean dishes. It was worthy of the 60th anniversary. 

The open buffet consists of Korean and Turkish dishes, and is enjoyed by all the guests. 

Among the guests, there were teachers from the King Sejong Institute and some graduates of the institute, professors from Istanbul and Bogazici universities, with the kind attendance of Mahmut Ak, the rector of Istanbul University, as well as Selcuk Esenbel and Hyunwoong Hong, both from Bogazici University, representatives from the Korea Tourism Organisation and many more distinguished persons.

The guests were able to take a look at the exhibition, consisting of photographs expressing the industrial collaborations between Korea and Turkey, as well as expressing the advanced scientific and industrial ability of Korea. Overall, it was a satisfying night.

Shim Sa Kong (second from the left) from the Istanbul King Sejong Institute poses with her students, Merve Vatansever (left) Ayse Oncul (second from the right) and Ece Yildirim (right). 

By Ayse Oncul 

Korea.net Honorary Reporter

Photos: Ayse Oncul

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