President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's wife, Emine Erdoğan, visited the "Birth of a Friendship: 70 Years Ago Korean Exhibition through the Lens of a Turkish Photographer" in Seoul, consisting of photographs taken by photographer İzzet Keribar in South Korea, where he came to do his military service in 1956, and prepared by the Presidential Directorate of Communications.
Upon her arrival at the Korean War Memorial Museum, where the exhibition is located, First Lady Erdoğan was welcomed by Kim Hea Kyung, wife of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, and Museum Director Hyun-Jong Kim.
Speaking at the program, which started with a Korean music recital, First Lady Erdoğan conveyed the love and respect of the Turkish people to the South Koreans, especially South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his wife Kim Hea Kyung, and thanked them for their hospitality.
Expressing her happiness to be in the Republic of Korea, First Lady Erdoğan said that they met at the symbolic place of Korean history on the occasion of "The Birth of a Friendship: 70 Years Ago Korean Exhibition through the Lens of a Turkish Photographer".
Thanking İzzet Keribar, one of the doyens of Turkish photography, First Lady Erdoğan said, "Each photograph he took years ago during his voluntary military service in South Korea is a witness to history as well as their artistic value. I find it very valuable to organize such a meaningful exhibition, especially on the 69th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Republic of Korea. I wholeheartedly congratulate our Presidential Communications Directorate, our exhibition curator and everyone who contributed." he said.
"More than 21 thousand Turkish soldiers we sent to the Korean War won the hearts of the Korean people."
First Lady Erdoğan stated that Türkiye and South Korea are parties to a very special friendship that is rare in history and made the following statements:
"Despite the distance of thousands of kilometers between our countries, our hearts are always one and together. Because we established our friendship with real sacrifices and an exemplary struggle, shoulder to shoulder, in a very difficult period of history. More than 21 thousand Turkish soldiers we sent to the Korean War won the hearts of the Korean people with their military successes as well as with their humanitarian efforts behind the front to heal the wounds caused by the war in society. On this occasion, they rest in their eternal rest on Korean soil." "I commemorate our beloved martyrs and deceased veterans with mercy and gratitude. May their souls rest in peace."
Expressing that one of the most valuable legacies left to them by martyrs and veterans is undoubtedly blood brotherhood, First Lady Erdoğan said, "We must keep this legacy alive, especially tell it to the younger generations, and keep it alive in the memory of humanity. Because memory, that is, what we choose to remember and what we choose to forget, is a founding force that shapes our present. As we turn our face to the history of war, destruction and polarization, we will not be able to see the virtuous examples that illuminate the path of humanity." he said.
"As Türkiye and South Korea, we reminded that humanity is a big family."
Reminding that wars and conflicts continue in this age, First Lady Erdoğan said, "We need stories more than ever that will inspire goodness and peace to humanity again and remind them that they are brothers. We, as Turkey and South Korea, wrote such a story. We reminded that humanity is a big family spread across the earth. We showed with our actions that we feel the pain in our own hearts if anyone from this family is oppressed. The photographs in our exhibition collection also testify to this fact." he said.
First Lady Erdoğan stated that the photograph titled "Prayer before dinner at Ankara School in Suvon" "took my heartstrings" and continued as follows:
"As you know, on January 27, 1951, the Turkish Brigade was kept in reserve near the city of Suvon. Meanwhile, about 70 Korean children who were orphaned in the war gathered around the Turkish Brigade. This number quickly exceeded 100. Our soldiers embrace and protect these children as if they were their own children. First, they set up a field tent, then they overhauled a dilapidated building near the barracks and turned it into a school. Then Korea "They demand teachers from the government. The Korean teachers who come here start working at the school without receiving any salary. Thus, the compassion and mercy of the Turkish soldiers quickly became famous among the Korean people. When we look at the newspaper reports of the period, we see that the Korean people called our soldiers 'fathers of orphans' and welcomed them with shows of love wherever they went."
"I am pleased to observe that the young generation in Türkiye is increasingly interested in Korean culture."
First Lady Erdoğan stated that Ankara School went down in history as a "school for humanity" and said, "Its walls have been kept alive by the great love and sense of responsibility for humanity. Its classrooms and orphanage have been enlightened by the wisdom of Mevlana's saying, 'A candle loses nothing of its light by lighting another candle.' The spirit of Ankara School still continues to teach an important lesson to humanity today. It is that true victories are about embracing all people without any discrimination, embracing humanity." "It is hidden in keeping people alive and developing the earth with virtue." made his assessment.
Pointing out that art has a great power to bring societies closer together and close the distances between people, First Lady Erdoğan said that the rhythm of a song, the lines of a poem, the story of a movie can bring together strangers with a sense of common experience, and that art enables people to understand each other and eliminates prejudices.
First Lady Erdoğan said:
"Recently, I am pleased to observe that the young generation in Türkiye has increased their interest in Korean culture. Similarly, I know that there is a great interest in Turkish culture in Korea. This mutual interest is an important opportunity to consolidate the friendship between our countries through cooperation in the field of culture and art and to transfer it to the future. I believe that Mr. Kim, a very valuable pianist whose life is intertwined with art, shares these thoughts with me. We consider our exhibition, which we opened today, as a very valuable step in this sense. "I hereby invite everyone to visit our exhibition and go on a journey full of memories and emotions through Mr. Keribar's unique photographs."
After taking a souvenir photo, First Lady Erdoğan and Kim Hea Kyung opened the exhibition and examined the photographs taken by Keribar. İzzet Keribar informed the leaders' wives about the photographs.
İzzet Keribar took photographs of Emine Erdoğan and Kim Hea Kyung, who took their places in the hall. Meanwhile, the leader's wives held hands and gave a message about the 69-year-old friendship between Türkiye and the Republic of Korea. İzzet Keribar presented the photo he took at the end of the program to the leaders' wives.
Three Korean veterans, the family of Korean Kim Eunja, whose story was brought to the big screen with the movie "Ayla", AA Chairman and General Manager Serdar Karagöz and TRT General Manager Mehmet Zahid Sobacı, representatives of television and newspapers, and representatives of the Korean War Memorial Foundation, Korea-Turkey Friendship Association, United Nations (UN) Korean War Allies Association, Republic of Korea United Nations Association, Korean Muslim Federation, World Citizens Organization attended the program.
