South Korea's relief team sent to Turkey earlier this year was awarded a medal from the Turkish leader for its contribution to the search and rescue work following the devastating earthquake, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented the medal of "distinguished humanitarian service" to the South Korean rescue team, along with relief teams from other countries, at a ceremony in Ankara on Tuesday.
Erdogan noted that the respective teams were among the first to be awarded the medal for "demonstrating humanity that transcends language, religion, culture and race."
Following the February quake, South Korea sent 142 rescue and relief workers to help Turkey with its search and rescue efforts and deliver aid items to Turkey. The team rescued eight people, including a 2-year-old girl, and recovered the bodies of 19 people.
Source: Yonhap News Agency