Interview
[Article - Climate crisis, North Korea] ‘Green Belt’ in Germany and DMZ
On 16 October, an interview article with Prof. Dr. Bernhard Seliger, Resident Representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea Office, was published in the Seoul Pyongyang News.
The article contains Prof. Dr. Seliger's views on his experience for North Korea's climate change response capacity building, inter-Korean peace and cooperation activities, North Korea's environmental conditions, cooperation with North Korea during COVID 19, and lessons from German unification.
Referring to Germany's "Das Grüne Band(Green Belt)" area at the end of the interview, Prof. Dr. Seliger delivered a message that just as the green belt became a peaceful exchange in nature beyond division, he hoped that the "DMZ" of the two Koreas would teach historical lessons to the Korean Peninsula and serve as a bridge for peace and reconciliation exchanges
"I hope to achieve peaceful unification someday. Now, in Germany's green belt, people enjoy nature, such as taking a walk and riding bicycles. Just as West Germany and East Germany interacted through the environment in the past, I hope that the Korean Peninsula will also find a way to overcome division through these examples. Second, whether Korea is unified or open, nature must be preserved. It is very important to think about the balance between the development and conservation of nature.” – Prof. Dr. Bernhard Seliger, from the original article.