"Brotherly Nation"... Korean Relief Team Moved to Tears by Turkey's Gratitude Message

Korean Emergency Relief Team First Unit's Farewell Gratitude
"We Will Always Remember Our Grateful Hearts"

A video showing Turkish citizens expressing their gratitude to the first Korean Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) deployed for relief efforts in the earthquake-affected areas has been released. They conveyed their thanks in imperfect Korean, moving the relief team members to tears.

[Source=Turkiye National Broadcasting TRT Haber YouTube]

On the 18th (local time), TRT Haber, Turkey's national broadcaster, released a video of Turkish people expressing their gratitude to the first relief team.

In the video, members of the "Korea-Turkey Solidarity Platform" from Turkey said in Korean, "When our country needed help the most, the Korean relief team came from 10,000 km away," "We are grateful for the sweat you shed," "We will always remember the thankful hearts of the Korean people who helped during this difficult time," and "Korea and Turkey are brotherly nations. We hope to meet again on better days."

Another member expressed gratitude, saying, "The Korean rescue workers, along with their excellent rescue dogs, risked their lives working tirelessly day and night," and "Their sole purpose was to save our people trapped under the rubble."

The video was played on board before the first relief team departed from Adana Airport to Korea, and the team members were moved to tears and applauded after watching it.

Visitors to the Embassy of Turkey in Korea's SNS Surge

On the morning of the 9th (local time), members of the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) and the rescue dog 'Haetae' were moving to conduct survivor rescue operations in the Antakya area of Hatay, Turkey. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As the relief team's activities became a hot topic locally, visitors to the social networking services (SNS) operated by the Embassy of Turkey in Korea have surged. An Instagram post about the relief team's arrival in Turkey, posted on the 8th, received over 160,000 likes, and a video of the rescue operations posted on the 12th garnered 130,000 likes along with more than 1,000 thankful comments.

Meanwhile, the first relief team, which was dispatched to Turkey on the 7th and rescued eight survivors, returned to Korea on the 18th after handing over duties to the second team in Adana, southeastern Turkey. They are scheduled to undergo health checkups and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screenings before returning to their respective duties.

Salih Murat Tamer, the Turkish Ambassador to Korea, who personally welcomed the first relief team at the airport, said, "The Turkish people will never forget Korea's support."

The first team of the Republic of Korea's Overseas Emergency Relief Unit supporting earthquake victims in Turkey returned through Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province at around 7 a.m. on the 18th and is taking a commemorative photo. [Image source=Yonhap News]