Erdoğan expresses ‘sadness’ over attacked South Korean record store owner in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on June 19 he was “most saddened” by the fact that Seogu Lee, the South Korean owner of the Velvet IndieGround record store in Istanbul, was forced to close his shop after it was attacked by an angry group on the night of June 17.

“The main thing I was saddened by was the fact that the Korean shopkeeper suffered due to this unpleasant incident,” Erdoğan said, speaking at an iftar dinner hosting artists at the Huber Palace in Istanbul’s Tarabya district.

A group of 20 assailants carrying sticks and bottles attacked the Velvet IndieGround store, beating up attendees gathered for a listening party of Radiohead’s latest album, “A Moon Shaped Pool.”

Lee, who opened the record store in the Beyoğlu district last year, was forced to close the shop down in tears the day after the attack.

“Music comes first. That’s what I thought while preparing to open the shop,” Lee said in an interview with Bant Mag.