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[Editorial] More support is needed for Turkey

Published: 12 Feb. 2023, 20:06

The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) dispatched to earthquake-hit Turkey dramatically rescued a teenager and a woman in her 50s from the rubble of collapsed buildings on Sunday. The KDRT has saved eight precious lives so far. We applaud the team members who did their best to save any single survivor. But still, there are a great number of buildings at risk of crumbling. We hope more than 110 Korean staffers finish their rescue mission safely.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake has left over 20,000 people dead in Turkey and Syria. With the death toll mounting by the thousands each day, 200,000 are presumed to be still trapped in the remains of buildings. While the likelihood of their survival shrinks every day, survivors are suffering from the loss of their family members and lack of food and other necessities. Photos from the spot graphically depict the depth of the pain of the Turkish people.

Koreans are joining forces to deliver relief packages to those in need to help them recover from the disaster. Ordinary citizens have started to collect donations followed by companies, corporate leaders and celebrities. Others are anonymously joining the move to display a lofty sense of humanity.

Korean national sentiment on par with “brotherhood” with Turkey also played a part in their rush to help the country. Many Koreans remember that Turkey immediately sent its troops to the 1950-53 Korean War following the U.S. forces. Korea and Turkey have since maintained close relations in the areas of economy, industry, culture and sports.

Korea provided various types of support to foreign countries when they suffered a famine, natural disaster and war. But it received criticism for not playing a role as the 10th largest economy in the world. That’s not because Korea is stingy but because it lacked experience of humanitarian assistance. Its swift dispatch of a rescue team to Turkey and its collective sympathy represent a mature image of Korea.

But there is no end in sight in Turkey and Syria. At least tens of thousands more will likely die. No one knows for how long the survivors must live a miserable life relying on relief from the rest of the world. Not to mention countless children who lost their parents or who have to suffer permanent physical impairments, signs of food shortage have appeared in Turkey. That calls for international aid for quite a long period of time. We hope our government gives Turkey systematic and effective support. We also hope all the disaster relief personnel return safely after completing their mission there.