South Korean doctors volunteer to help residents of Türkiye's quake-hit Iskenderun district

By Sebahatdin Zeyrek and Mahmut Serdar Alakus

HATAY, Türkiye (AA) - A South Korean couple, Victoria and Paul Cho, have been volunteering to help the afflicted in Iskenderun district of Türkiye’s Hatay province, which was hit hard by the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes.

The doctors said they are grateful to Türkiye for its help during the Korean War and that they have temporarily shut down their clinics back in the US state of California, where they live, to come help the Turkish people in the aftermath of the quakes.

The couple provide acupuncture treatment to the disaster victims.

The doctors, who specialize in acupuncture and cupping therapy, work at a field hospital established by Türkiye's disaster management agency AFAD in the district, where volunteer doctors work.

Speaking to Anadolu, 65-year-old Paul Cho said that as soon as he heard about the earthquake, he and his wife decided to come to Türkiye immediately.

Recalling that Türkiye sent soldiers to their country to help in the Korean War, he said: "Türkiye helped us. We never forget that. That's why we are here."

He said he was very sad to see those affected by the earthquakes.

Noting that they are trying to reduce the pain of earthquake victims with their treatment, he said: "Now there are patients who work hard and lift weights due to the earthquake. Because they do these things too intensely, they have pain in the muscles. Acupuncture works for all pains. It works immediately. That's why people are very happy.”

Victoria Cho, 63, said she was very upset when she heard about the earthquake in her sister country.

She said the treatment she applied reduced the pain and she was happy to be able to help earthquake victims.

- ‘They took good care of it’

Yasemin Cincik, who received treatment at the field hospital, said she came with a complaint of neck hernia.

"I couldn't move my arm much. After the procedure, I can move my arm very easily now. I don't have any pain. I'm very well now. They took care of it very well. I’m very satisfied.”

Muharrem Ozbakis, who came with a hernia complaint, said he felt better following the acupuncture treatment.

Thanking the doctors, Ozbakis said: "We are a friendly and brotherly country with them. They also showed friendship and helped us."

The South Korean couple treated around 480 people in one week.

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck 11 Turkish provinces — Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa, claiming the lives of more than 50,000 people

More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes.