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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

My Second Home Country: Korea

This is my third visit to Korea over the past eight years. I first came to Korea in 1999, and worked for the Turkish Department at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies for two years. Then, I came to Korea for a two-week visit to attend the Asia Pacific Sociological Association Conference. Currently, I am visiting Korea for the third time as a Korea Foundation Research Fellow. This three-month stay in Korea has a different meaning and benefit for me.

First of all, it is instrumental for carrying out my on-site research in Korea. My research project is about the Turkey-related news that appears in Korea’s domestic media. Our bilateral relations and discovery of each other are very important and interesting for our two countries at the corners of the Asian continent. This year, Korea and Turkey are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic relations. Although 50 years is a relatively short period in terms of world history, the strong bilateral relations that have developed between our two countries has been unusually successful.
Turkey’s participation in the Korean War (1950-53) has contributed much to the close bond of our peoples. One of the largest sections of the U.N. Cemetery in Busan is occupied by fallen Turkish soldiers. The sacrifices of the Turkish troops, who shed their blood for the freedom of Korea, are still greatly appreciated by the Korean people. This emotional connection has always sustained the Korea-Turkey friendship. Moreover, Korea came to the aid of the Turkish people in 1999, when an earthquake devastated the northwestern region of Turkey. The close friendship between the two countries was again displayed during the 2002 World Cup in Korea. The good sportsmanship of the teams and the spectators of Korea and Turkey during the 3rd Place Match in Seoul was readily evident.
Despite the close relations between the peoples of our two countries during the past five decades, the direct interaction of the two nations has been noticeably limited. The people of Korea and Turkey seem to learn and know about each other through Western media. In addition, cultural and academic exchanges are especially minimal. Due to these negative factors, Turkey and Korea have not been able to further develop their two-way relations and enhance mutual understanding and collaboration. The purpose of my research in Korea was to underline these shortcomings of Turkey-Korea relations, particularly in the fields of media and political studies. I hope that these kinds of studies can help the Korean and Turkish academic communities to pay greater attention to bilateral relations in the future.


I also had a chance to meet with Korean Studies academics during my fellowship period. And it was a great experience for me to attend the World Congress of Korean Studies 2007, organized by the Korean Political Science Association, which was held in Busan on August 23-25, 2007. I presented a paper entitled: “Western Influence on Korean Media: Analysis of Turkey-related News in South Korean Media.” My presentation subject was directly related to my research interests on Korea. During panel discussion, I received valuable and useful comments about my paper, which will serve as important input to improve my final paper. I also had an opportunity to meet numerous Korean and international specialists on Korean Studies. One of the most notable highlights of my stay in Korea was my participation in this conference.
Furthermore, the Korea Foundation fellowship helped me to improve my Korean, which unfortunately had been gradually fading away. During my previous stay in Korea, in 1999-2000, I had also taken Korean language courses. Learning a completely different language, from the ground up, is not an easy undertaking. However, I attended intensive Korean classes and conscientiously studied the language during these two years. It was a very interesting experience for me to discover the similarities between our two Altaic languages - Korean and Turkish.
So, learning and speaking Korean has been a rewarding experience for me. During my three-month fellowship stay in Korea, I had a unique and valuable opportunity to practice and apply my Korean. Korean classes held at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center were useful to help refresh my Korean skills, despite its limited time of two hours per week. Korean language skills are very important not only for my research, but also to facilitate personal contact with Korean people. True understanding of the Korean people and their culture will be more in-depth for foreigners who know Korean. More importantly, if you know Korean, your everyday life in Korea will be easier and more enjoyable.
Lastly, this fellowship period was a chance to reinforce my memories of Korea and reestablish my friendly relations with people in Korea. The cultural similarities between Korean and Turkish people make Korea much more attractive for me. Among such cultural and social similarities, the family relations and kinship, respectful attitude toward elder people, and group dinners and gatherings of Korean society are very important for the Turkish people as well. Thus far, I have visited more than 20 countries around the world, but Korea has been the most special place for me. Whenever I visit Korea, I feel like I am at home. Now, my research period in Korea has come to an end, and I will have to leave Korea shortly. I am happy to return to my home country of Turkey, but I am sorry to again be leaving my second home country of Korea.

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