Anniversary of Korean War in Turkish media (1950-1970)

The Korean Peninsula which is situated in one of the most strategic places in the earth, has been invaded many times during the history due to its geopolitical importance. After the industrial revolution, Korea remained in the grip of imperialism and at the end of the Second World War, it hosted the first hot conflict of a new era called the Cold War. After the end of the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union, which emerged as two superpowers in the world, occupied the Korean Peninsula accepting the 38th Parallel Circle as a border. As a result of these occupations, the Korean people were divided into two nations. The North Korea was occupied by the Soviet Union while the South was by the USA. On June 25, 1950, the pro-Communist North Korea occupied South Korea, which was supported by the United States. The war gained a different dimension with the introduction of the United Nations. Before the United Nations called for the Korea, the United States had been involved in the war and had decided to send their troops. Turkey was the one of the first countries that reacted to the call of the UN. The Democrat Party government responded the call of the UN by announcing to send 4,500 troops. The Democrat Party was criticized for taking this decision on its own. The Democratic Party government wanted to use it to enter NATO by turning the Korean War into a political victory, in which it succeeded. The Turkish army paved the way for Turkey's membership in NATO as a result its great success. Turkey was accepted as a member of NATO in 1952. The Korean War ended with a cease-fire agreement signed on 27 July 1953. VII The Turkish press followed the Korean War with a great interest from the very beginning. With the participation of the Turkish Army in the Korean war, this interest increased more and the decision of the Government to send the troops to fight against the communists was embraced by the Turkish people. They took a great pride in the success of our soldiers and did not hesitate to sacrifice their own children for this cause. The Turkish press did not show the same interest to the Korean War after the war ended as they did in the early years of the war. There was a great decline in the number of the news about the Korean War especially after 1955.Although it has been 69 years since the beginning of the Korean War, the increase in the interest of young people to the Korean War and South Korea especially in the last years is a positive development.