“Since the earthquake, you have not left us alone. In the future, I will visit your country as a person who helps the world. thank you.”
A 9-year-old boy from Turkey, who suffered great damage from the earthquake, sent a message of thanks to various organizations in Korea, including the UN Memorial Cemetery. On the 16th, the UN Memorial Park in Korea recently released an Instagram message sent by Hussein Kagan on its official social media account.
Hussein, who introduced himself as a 9-year-old boy living in Denizli, Turkey, said, “After the earthquake, Korea along with other countries saved our lives. I don’t know,” he said. “I also want to be a person who does good things in the world when I grow up. I will visit Korea,” he added, adding, “If I go on vacation to Korea later, I will treat you as a guest at my house.” Hussein sent this message translated not only into Turki language but also into English and Korean.
Hussein also sent pictures of local activities of emergency relief teams dispatched from Korea and drawings by illustrator Myung Min-ho, who recently became a hot topic on social media. This is a side-by-side drawing of a Turkish soldier handing a water bottle to a Korean girl during the Korean War and a Korean emergency relief team handing water to a Turkish girl at the site of the earthquake. The United Nations Memorial Park said in a reply, “I believe that Hussein will grow up to be a gentle and good-hearted adult.”
According to Qatar’s state-run Al-Jazeera broadcaster, the death toll exceeded 46,000 on the 18th (local time), 12 days after the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. An official from the Turkiye Disaster Management Agency (AFAD) announced, “We plan to finish most of the search and rescue operations on the night of the 19th.” This means that the government will focus on supporting survivors in light of the reality that the possibility of rescue is gradually becoming slimmer.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.