The Korean War was one of the most tragic events that happened between two Koreas. However, amidst the chaos caused by the war, there was a sad love story which was not much known to us. This is the story of a Turkish soldier and a five-year-old Korean girl. Their story was once introduced in a documentary program of MBC in 2010, and later Turkey made a film titled Ayla: The Daughter of War in 2017, based on this moving story.  

In the film, sergeant Süleyman, a Turkish man who was brought to Korea during the Korean War, finds a 5 year old Korean girl left alone in the darkness. Süleyman named the girl “Ayla,” which means “the moon” in Turkish. He took Alya, who became unable to talk at the shock of losing her parents, with him to the army. Risking his own life, Süleyman took care of her as if he were her father. Süleyman and Ayla soon formed a bond like a family. Ayla became the joy and hope for the soldiers who everyday experienced traumatic moments and felt depression.

Not being able to abandon Ayla, Süleyman postponed going back to Turkey even after the war ended. However, he was ordered to depart the country and had no other alternative but to go back to his mother country. Süleyman tried to take Ayla in a bag secretly with him, but failed. Being depressed and frustrated, they had to say goodbye to each other.    

Finding that his long-term love had already abandoned their love and married another man after coming back to Turkey, Süleyman married a woman whom he did not love much. However, his wife helped him to look for Ayla, whom Süleyman was seriously missing. But they failed to find her again.

60 years had passed, but Süleyman was still missing Ayla. Miraculously, at that time, Korean TV program producers who were going to film a documentary on the Korean War heard about the story of Süleyman and Ayla. With their help, the two could meet each other again in 60 years.     

The film ends with the scene of “real” Süleyman and Ayla meet each other again after 60 years of longing. Although this film was not much shown in many theaters in Korea, viewers will recognize the power of love between the people and the cruelty of the war through this film.