By Seo Soo-min
Staff Reporter

No Korean casualties have been reported in the wake of Thursday’s truck bombings in Istanbul, Turkey that killed at least 27 and wounded nearly 450, a South Korean diplomat in Ankara said on Friday.

Relaying the mood of fear throughout the country, Lee Hee-chul, an official at the Korean Embassy in Ankara, said the embassy is bracing for the worst, although there have been no casualties reported.

``We have told local Korean groups to refrain from going outside and particularly to stay away from places were attacks are more likely to take place,’’ Lee said in a telephone interview from Ankara.

Cars, particularly small trucks like the ones used in Thursday’s bombings, are subjected to numerous searches. Children’s school buses taking students to international schools now take different routes to avoid possible attacks.

But Lee, a Turkey expert, offered his personal opinion that South Korea, which decided to dispatch additional troops to Iraq at the U.S.’ request, is less likely to become a target for such terrorist attacks.

``Experts here believe Turkey’s troop dispatch plan to join U.S. operations in Iraq (shelved earlier this month) had little to do with the attacks,’’ Lee said.

The secular tradition of Turkey and Ankara’s active cooperation in U.S.’ occupation of Iraq, which set it apart from other countries in the region, likely made Turkey a target on ``symbolic’’ grounds, he added.

``It is noteworthy that Prime Minister (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan strongly called for enhanced international cooperation to prevent terrorism,’’ Lee said.

A spokesman at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the attacks, expressing ``deep condolences’’ for the terrorist victims, adding South Korea ``strongly condemns’’ the attacks.

``The ROK (Republic of Korea) government has given its support for the international efforts to eradicate terrorism and will continue to take active part in such endeavors,’’ he said.

Some 600 South Koreans live in Turkey, of whom 400 are concentrated in Ankara. Bilateral relations between the two countries have further blossomed after the 2002 World Cup where Turkish athletes were received warmly during their semifinal match against South Korea.

ssm@koreatimes.co.kr