South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (R) shakes hands with Turkish Ambassador to South Korea Murat Tamer at the foreign ministry in Seoul on Feb. 23, 2023, during a meeting with members of South Korea’s Disaster Relief Team to Turkey. Park expressed his appreciation to the team, which recently returned from Turkey after aiding post-quake efforts. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea plans to help Turkey set up shelters for the survivors of last month’s devastating earthquake in the European country, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.
The decision was made at an interagency meeting on ways to provide assistance to Turkey struggling with recovery and reconstruction efforts after the 7.8 magnitude quake hit the nation.
At the meeting, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said the government will dispatch a third round of relief contingent for the aid project and provide victims with the “foundation for sustainable lives.”
“This marks the first time our government has provided assistance ranging from search and rescue operations to the disaster recovery phase since the enactment of the Overseas Emergency Relief Act,” he said.
According to Park, the third round of South Korean disaster relief workers, set to depart next Wednesday, will outline the details of the project in consultations with the Turkish authorities.
Along with the team, the government plans to deliver 500 shipping containers to be used for temporary shelters, and provide support for social welfare facilities and job training programs.
South Korea has sent a total of 142 rescue and relief workers to help primarily with search and rescue efforts and deliver aid items to Turkey since the quake.
(Yonhap)
