At 4 a.m. on February 6, 2023, southeast Türkiye and northern Syria was shaken by a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7. It was the most severe earthquake the Republic of Türkiye ever experienced in its history, claiming at least 55,000 lives over the past two months. Twice as many people were wounded, and economic damage is estimated up to at least 84 billion dollars.
Socioeconomic Impact of the Earthquake
Adding to huge economic damage, the earthquake also shook the politics in Türkiye. First, Recep Erdoğan, president since 2014, is being blamed for the poor response to the earthquake. Not only was he slow to respond to the catastrophe, declaring a national emergency 35 hours after the first tremor, but has also been accused of not being sufficiently or properly prepared for natural disasters. As aforementioned, Türkiye is one of the most vulnerable countries to earthquakes, which is why it has allocated a certain amount of tax for earthquake damage prevention.
The amount of “earthquake tax” is equal to 88 billion Turkish lira, approximately 4.65 billion dollars. Despite such an abundant budget, the money was not properly spent; as reported by CNN, a significant chunk of the earthquake tax was used to build bridges or roads.
Misconduct regarding the budget is not the only thing that Mr. Erdoğan has been blamed for. According to the BBC, the Erdoğan Administration failed to correctly monitor newly constructed buildings. After a massive earthquake in 1999, Turkish law was amended to include strict design rules in terms of seismic tolerance of buildings. However, after Mr. Erdoğan took office, 1.8 million cases in which buildings did not meet the seismic requirement were excused, leaving numerous structures vulnerable to earthquakes.
The criticism of the president is expected to significantly affect the upcoming presidential elections of Türkiye scheduled in May 2023. In the two previous elections, Mr. Erdoğan achieved overwhelming victory, defending his presidency for 10 years. However, he started to lose the faith of the Turkish people in 2022, when the country suffered from a massive 85 percent inflation.
The impact of the earthquake went beyond the borders. Numerous refugees from Syria and Türkiye are reaching out for help in Europe. While some have found a place to stay, many Syrian refugees were rejected. According to the Guardian on February 26th, Greece has enforced land and sea borders, deploying hundreds of additional border guards in anticipation of a surge in smuggling of residents from the affected areas. Greek Immigration Minister Notis Mataraki stated that “relocating millions of refugees to Greece is not the solution” and that urgent aid to Türkiye and Syria must be stopped “before that happens.”
At a European Union (EU) border management meeting held outside the capital Athens on the 24th, Mataraki stated that the border between Türkiye and Greece will be strengthened regardless of EU support. Greece plans to double the size of its border wall, which is 35 kilometers long and 5 meters high, by the end of this year. “We will extend the barrier along the entire Evros River to protect continental Europe from illegal migration,” Mataraki said.
Korea is also expecting the influence. On February 20, Hana Securities stated, “Due to the damage caused by the earthquake in Türkiye, most steel companies in the region have declared ‘Force Majeure’ owing to the suspension of operation of Iskenderun Port, which is a key trading hub for iron scrap and steel in Türkiye. The earthquake affected the southeastern region, which accounts for 30 percent of the total steel production capacity and is equivalent to 11.7 million tons per year.”
The UOS Times interviewed Yasin Ozdemir, a university student living in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Q1. As a student living in Istanbul, have you experienced the influence of the earthquake?
Thankfully, we did not get affected by the earthquake directly; however, due to having so many students from so many different regions and cities, all of the universities switched to online education. At the same time, almost everyone I know tried to help the affected region by either donating stuff or money, or by doing physical labor. I have helped physically and also by translating some documents about how to set up the tents that were sent from Korea. Even though it is not the topic, I really thank both Korean people and the government for their enormous support, it was just wonderful to see the willingness to help. We are truly a brother country to each other!
Q2. Are further aftershocks expected according to the Turkish press?
There have been more than a thousand earthquakes in the region after the big ones. The Anatolian tectonic plate has moved south toward the Arabian plate and professors believe that there will be more earthquakes down south in upcoming years.
Q3. Are other cities lacking security because of the relocated social services?
Definitely not. As a person who is a very radical opposition supporter to the current regime, I also thought about the possibility of that. However, people’s willingness to help was something that cannot be explained by words. People have devoted everything they can share. They gave their houses that were sitting empty rent free to those in need. Their bills are paid by the government and they are getting so much help from citizens. There are no such issues at the moment. People’s willingness to help has definitely overshadowed the government’s faults for the time being.
Q4. Will the influence of the earthquake be prolonged?
Millions of people have become homeless while a huge agricultural area got hit. The region accounted for 20 percent of Türkiye’s agriculture and 15 percent of its industrial output. These stats will take years to achieve again and Türkiye’s existing economic problems will continue to grow for some time. There is also the presidential election in May, so it has only increased the chance of the opposition winning after 20 years of the Erdoğan regime.
Koreans in Helping Türkiye
Korea has maintained a friendly relationship with Türkiye since the mid-20th century. The cordiality between the two countries has been confirmed once again in recovering from the damage caused by the earthquake.
On February 7, President Yoon Suk-yeol of Korea tweeted, “My heart goes out to the people of Türkiye and Syria during this difficult time. Korea sends our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. We stand ready to assist Türkiye, a brotherhood forged in blood during the Korean War, in any way possible.”
Korea dispatched the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) on February 7, no more than 48 hours after the incident. The first KDRT dispatch consisted of 118 people including government officials, rescue forces, and military specialists. A series of donations followed, both by the Korean government and people. Companies irrespective of the industry, local governments, and universities also joined the donation movement. According to the Seoul Shinmun, in a week after the earthquake, over 50 tons of relief goods were collected in Korea.
To help Türkiye from Korea:
Donation bank account:
KEB Hana Bank 920-9210004-89105 (SWIFT CODE: KOEXKRSE)
The account is under the name of “EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY AFAD earthquake relief.”
To send relief goods, pack your items and write “Aid Material/Türkiye” on the box. Send the package to 304-306-ho, 20 Jayumuyeok-ro 107beon-gil, Jung-gu, Incheon, 22379. After the package arrives to the destination, it will be sorted and sent to Türkiye free of the donator’s charge.
According to the Turkish Embassy in Korea, tents, blankets, electric heaters, and sleeping bags are much more needed rather than clothes. Regarding the expiration, edible items are not recommended for relief goods. It can be a good idea to send the daily sanitary items such as tissue, razors or hand sanitizer.
Kim Ye-il
lavieenrose0705@uos.ac.kr