We all did it when we were kids. Running away after our parents wouldn’t grant a certain request or just out of pure teenage rebellion, only to hide in the shed or at our grandmother's house.
Three young girls, two of whom are siblings, from Turkey, however, took things to a whole new level after they didn’t return home one night to allegedly make their grand escape, only this time, to South Korea.
The girls, aged 11, 13, and 15, left home after telling their parents they were going to a picnic in the metropolitan city of Istanbul on Monday. However, their families were fraught with worry when night had fallen, and the girls had not yet returned.
They then contacted the police, who launched an investigation into the incident. They discovered that the girls had packed their rucksacks with clothes and left their mobile phones behind, concluding that they had, indeed, run away from home.
The police formed a special team and found the girls’ backpacks on a beach in Istanbul’s Avcılar district. They widened their search in the area and located the three runaways, safe and sound. Turns out they had made a trip to a theme park and spent the night on the beach.
Here’s where things really get interesting: In their first statement, according to NTV media outlet, the girls said that they had come under the influence of a Korean movie to such an extent that they decided to pack up and go.
However, the father of one of the girls, Özay Memiş, completely denied claims of the girls wanting to flee to South Korea.
They decide to go to Avcilar [an Istanbul district]. They stayed there when it got dark. They were too scared to come home.”
However, Memiş’s next words induced readers to wonder whether he was trying to shield the children from ridicule.
“She does like Korean music. I asked my daughter, but she said, 'We can't go there; how would we?’ They know it's far away. It’s completely bogus.”
Social media users mocked the incident, posting comments like “Special Operation BTS,” referring to the popular K-pop band.
Turkey has a wide fan base dedicated to K-pop music and South Korean dramas, with a following that numbers in the millions.
