Istanbul and Busan Mark the 75th Anniversary of Turkish Troops’ Departure to Korea with Joint Events

On September 19, 2025, Deputy Secretary General of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), Ms. Zeynep Neyza Akçabay, welcomed Mr. Gyung Youn-ho, Special Advisor for Political Affairs (SAPA) of Busan Metropolitan City, and the accompanying delegation at the City Hall.

The visit was held concurrently with the “Eurasia Citizen Diplomats” program, which has been organized by the Busan Global City Foundation since 2016. On this occasion, the Eurasia Citizen Diplomats Delegation, composed of young participants from Busan, engaged in contacts in Istanbul for the very first time. The theme of the 2025 visit was designated as honoring the heroism of Turkish soldiers and expressing gratitude to the veterans, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.

The courtesy visit was also attended by Mr. Barbaros Büyüksağnak, Head of the Foreign Relations Department; Ms. Enif Yavuz Dipşar, Head of the Social Services Department; and Mr. Tolga Volkan Aslan, Head of the Culture Department. The discussions reaffirmed the historic ties between Türkiye and the Republic of Korea, the sister-city partnership of Istanbul and Busan, and the importance of carrying forward this friendship to future generations through youth diplomacy.

On September 20, IMM and Busan Metropolitan City, in cooperation with the Busan Global City Foundation, hosted the “Thank You Reception for Busan Peace Warriors” at the Ali Emiri Efendi Cultural Center in Fatih.

The reception brought together Korean War veterans and their families with guests from Istanbul and Busan. War veterans and representatives of war veterans’ associations in Istanbul also joined the commemorations on this special day. Acting Mayor of Istanbul, Mr. Nuri Aslan; Busan SAPA, Mr. Gyung Youn-ho; and Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Istanbul, Mr. Lee Woo-sung, delivered keynote speeches.

As part of the ceremony, Turkish veterans were honored with traditional gifts and plaques brought from Busan, as well as commemorative medals prepared by the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK). A short documentary capturing veterans’ memories was screened to great interest and appreciation of the attendees.

The evening concluded with traditional performances by the Busan Metropolitan Dance Company and artistic presentations by IMM-affiliated performers, adding a rich cultural dimension to the commemoration.