Turkey, S. Korea to commemorate Korean War's 60th anniversary

Turkey and South Korea will jointly commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, an event that helped Ankara's entry into NATO and fostered a strong Turkish-South Korean friendship. Senior South Korean and Turkish civilian and military officials will attend a ceremony in Ankara on June 24 for the opening of a renovated Korean War Memorial located across from the city's main train station, officials from both sides said on the weekend. South Korea's national military football team will also play a friendly against its Turkish counterparts on the following day, the exact anniversary of the beginning of hostilities. Turkey’s national military football team will then travel to South Korea in September to play a second game to mark the war's anniversary. "The war was a tragedy, but at the same time, it paved the way for today's close relations between us and Turkey," said a South Korean diplomat. In addition to close diplomatic ties, the countries’ economic relationship has flourished, especially during the last decade as South Korea hopes to lead the planned construction of Turkey's second nuclear power plant in the Black Sea area. Russia will build Turkey's first nuclear power plant in the south of the country. Defense industry relations with South Korea have also increased in recent years. In deals worth billions of dollars, South Korean firms lead several Turkish defense programs, including the manufacturing of howitzers and training aircraft. At the same time, a South Korean company is providing technology transfer for Turkey's efforts to build a main battle tank.