110 Koreans return home after Turkey coup attempt

The coup by soldiers seeking to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan broke out late Friday, resulting in around 250 casualties. 

The coup was suppressed Saturday, with President Erdogan returning to the capital to contain the situation and Turkish citizens taking to the streets in an anti-coup movement.

The Korean travelers arrived at Korea’s Incheon International Airport at around 6:53 a.m. on Sunday.

Some of them told Yonhap News that they had been terrified by the situation and were relieved to return home.

Some of the flight’s passengers had even broken into applause in relief when their plane safely landed in Incheon.

“I was waiting for further notice (at Ataturk Airport) after I heard my flight was delayed. Then I heard gunfire and people were suddenly rushing into the airport for shelter,” 24-year-old Shim Min-guk told Yonhap.

People had said that the airport had been seized by troops as part of the military coup, and Shim recounted being intensely worried.

Another passenger, 56-year-old Hong Tae-hyo, vividly remembered the terror of bomb detonations.

“The airport walls were shaking -- it was frightening to say the least. Some female passengers broke into tears.”

Around 120 Korean passengers were stalled at the airport during the brief coup.

Among them, 110 returned to Korea while 10 others were moved to a third country.

The Korean government plans to send an emergency task force comprised of two officials from the Foreign Ministry and one official from the Korean police agency to make sure Koreans stay safe in Turkey.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kayla@heraldcorp.com)