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Turkish Ambassdor to Korea Murat Tamer, proper, holds a plaque with Vice Minister of Patriots and Veteran Affairs Kang Yun-jin to honor Turkish commander Tahsin Yazici on the Embassy of Turkey in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Instances picture by Kim Hyun-bin
Turkey’s ambassador to Korea, Murat Tamer, on Tuesday paid tribute to a Turkish commander whose management in the course of the Korean Battle helped save allied forces and cemented what each international locations describe as a long-lasting “brotherhood solid in blood.”
Talking at a ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Embassy of Turkey in Seoul, Tamer welcomed the ministry’s “Hero of the Korean Battle of the Month” initiative, which honors one veteran every from Korea and the United Nations Forces.
The ministry chosen the late Tahsin Yazici because the Hero of the Korean Battle for January 2026. Tamer stated the popularity preserves the shared reminiscence of a battle fought “within the identify of freedom and peace.”
Born in 1892 in Monastir, now in North Macedonia, Yazici was educated at Ottoman navy colleges and graduated from Harbiye, the Ottoman navy academy, as a cavalry lieutenant in 1912. He fought in World Battle I and the Turkish Battle of Independence, later receiving the Independence Medal. In 1934, he established the Turkish Military’s first fight tank unit, serving to steer the power towards trendy armored warfare.
Turkish commander Tahsin Yazıcı / Courtesy of Embassy of Turkey in Seoul
Promoted to brigadier common in 1949, Yazici was appointed commander of the Turkish Brigade when Turkey determined to ship troops to Korea in 1950. They arrived in Busan on Oct. 17, 1950, reequipped with U.S. gear in Daegu and operated below the U.S. ninth Corps with the code identify “North Star.”
Yazici’s management proved decisive in the course of the Battle of Kunuri in November 1950, when large Chinese language intervention threatened to break down United Nations strains. Tasked with masking the proper flank of the retreating U.S. Eighth Military and 2nd Infantry Division, the Turkish Brigade confronted overwhelming odds. With communications reduce and terrain unsuitable for protection, Yazici ordered a withdrawal to determine blocking positions. For 3 days, Turkish troops delayed numerically superior Chinese language forces, enabling allied items to withdraw. The brigade suffered heavy losses, together with tons of killed, lacking or wounded.
Regardless of these losses, the brigade regrouped and received a serious victory at Kumyangjang-ni on Jan. 25–27, 1951, utilizing a bayonet cost to dislodge fortified Chinese language positions held by forces a number of occasions their dimension. Their success helped dispel the idea amongst UN troops that Chinese language forces have been “unstoppable.” The brigade later acquired the U.S. Distinguished Unit Quotation and Korea’s Presidential Unit Quotation, whereas Yazici was awarded the U.S. Silver Star.
Throughout Chinese language offensives within the spring of 1951, the Turkish Brigade defended the approaches to Seoul alongside the Han River, serving to stop a broader breakthrough.
Recognized for a “fatherly” command type, Yazici usually remained on the entrance together with his troopers and emphasised the human value of struggle. He supported humanitarian efforts, together with the opening of the Ankara Orphanage and Faculty in Suwon for Korean struggle orphans.
Promoted to main common in 1951, Yazici retired the next yr as a consequence of age limits, later serving as a lawmaker. He died in 1971.
At Tuesday’s ceremony, Kang Yun-jin, vice minister of patriots and veterans affairs, offered a commemorative plaque honoring Yazici, saying the month-to-month recognition program displays South Korea’s dedication to honoring those that defended freedom in the course of the struggle.
“By remembering Korean and United Nations veterans collectively, we be certain that their sacrifices and the values they upheld are handed on to future generations,” Kang stated.
Tamer stated the plaque symbolizes not solely particular person valor however the unshakable friendship between Turkey and Korea, rooted in shared sacrifice in the course of the struggle.
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