German-Korean Junior-Forum 2018
Bringing Germans and Koreans together
The participants of the German-Korean Junior-Forum 2018
HSS
Summit meetings play an important role in bilateral relations of nations. Germany and Korea since 2002 every year meet, once in Germany, the next year in Korea, to bring together political, economic and cultural decision-makers. It is currently headed by Hartmut Koschyk, long-term head of the German-Korean Parliamentary group, as well as Kim Young-Jin, a business man heading Handok Pharma Corp. as well as the Korean-German Society. However, though young people are regularly called the “future of the bilateral relations”, the voice of young people is often missing in such meetings. Therefore, since some years the so-called “junior forum” meets alongside the forum, to discuss issues relevant for the youth of both countries.
Presentation on North Korea given by Dr. Seliger
HSS
To widen the understanding for Korea’s development and current state of affairs for young German people, Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea organized a week-long study trip for the 25 German members of the junior forum. The programme began with a presentation by Dr. Bernhard Seliger, head of Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea, talking about his experiences in North Korea. The German Embassy received the group a day later to give an introduction into bilateral relations and actual developments in South Korea. Weert Börner, Vice Ambassador, welcomed the group and gave an excellent tour d’horizon of relations. Heike Ahrenberg, Political Secretary, as well as Markus Hatzelmann, Secretary for Culture, then talked about political and cultural ties between Germany and Korea, which are very dense. The next day Antje Resech, Vice President of the German-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, introduced the economic relations between Germany and Korea. A day of lectures on unification in the Unification Education Center of the Ministry of Unification and a trip to the DMZ followed. Next year, a similar programme for the Korean participants of the German-Korean junior forum is planned in Germany.