Activities
Events and Meetings in November
Lecture at Incheon Haneul Academy
On November 1, Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi, senior researcher at HSF Korea, gave a lecture to the students at Incheon Haneul Academy. The topic was the role of young students in the peacebuilding process on the Korean Peninsula related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She gave an overview of HSF Korea’s activities such as wetland conservation (SDG 14), afforestation (SDG 15), reconciliation and cooperation between two Koreas (SDG 16), and environmental partnerships (SDG 17) and their relations to global challenges.
Freshmen students visited the HSF Korea office
On November 2, Professor Hong Suk-hoon from Changwon National University visited the HSF Korea office with his freshman students majoring in International Relation Studies. All the HSF staffs and interns warmly welcomed the visitors. The students participated in meaningful exchanges and learned from Dr. Hyunah Choi about HSF’s research activities based on its expertise in inter-Korean cooperation and development.
Hantan River Forum
On November 3, the Hantan River Forum took place in Yeonchoen, an inner-Korean border area. This region is a symbolic place for it is a natural crane habitat with rapids along the Imjin River’s upper course the abundance of wetlands. This forum focused on the direction of ecological restoration of the Hantan and Imjin transboundary rivers. Dr. Donguk Han, Director of Eco Korea, presented and suggested the inter-Korean cooperation be based on the environmental features of Hantan and Imjin river. Prof. Byung Chul Ahn, Wonkwang University, also spoke about eco-tourism in this area. After the presentation of Dr. Han and Prof. Ahn the invited discussant commented on the topics. Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi, Senior researcher at HSF Korea, referred in this context to a possible cooperation with MoLEP.
2021 International Peace Unification Education Symposium
On November 10, Kangwon Ilbo, Gangwon Province, Inje-gun and Kangwon National University co-hosted the 2021 International Peace Unification Education Symposium at the Inje Speedium Hotel. Experts discussed the direction of inter-Korean exchanges in Gangwon-do as a peaceful area. Dr. Seliger, the representative of HSF Korea, participated as a presenter and spoke about “30 years of German Unification-is there a special role for Gangwon and it's local administrations?”
Meeting of the Council of Diplomacy for Korean Unification
On November 12, HSF Korea had a meeting with the Council of Diplomacy for Korean Unification. Prof. Dr. Tomasz Wierzbowksi and Dr. Kim co-hosted the event at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Interesting new ideas about Korean unification were developed and discussed among Korean and foreign experts. Dr. Seliger also met up with Hartmut Koschyk, co-chair of the German-Korean forum at this meeting and enjoyed revisiting the Graduate School of International and Area Studies at HUFS, where he taught for four years from 1998 to 2002.
Special lecture on the German Reunification
KIM, Young-Soo, project manager of the HSF in Seoul, gave a special lecture on the German Reunification for the students of reunification studies of Inje University on November 14, 2021, at IPC (International Peace Center) Jeju. This event was organized by Inje University in Busan and sponsored by the South Korean Ministry of Reunification and took place within the frame of a reunification education program for the students at the University. The lecture came about at the invitation of professor Chin Hee-Kwan who teaches reunification studies at Inje University.
Meeting with PACSC for an upcoming Workshop
On November 17, Dr. Wilson and two research interns from Peace and Conflict Studies Center (PACSC) Asia at George Mason University visited the HSF Korea office. Based on the previous on-site workshop, which took place at Goseong, the representatives of these two institutes discussed in a brief but meaningful manner preparations for the upcoming conference in December. This event will focus on International Cities/Zones of Peace at Incheon Global Campus. Since the previous workshop conducted by these two parties, was a success, HSF Korea and PACSC Asia expect their joint conference to again be a significant and successful event.
Virtual Civil Peace Forum
The Civil Peace Forum is a network of peace organizations that aims to build alternative visions of peace beyond military and state-centric views on the Korean Peninsula. On November 17, a virtual meeting with topic climate crisis and cooperation between the two Koreas was held. Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi, senior researcher at HSF Korea, attended the forum as an invited speaker. She introduced HSF Korea’s activity to climate change such as wetland and habitat conservation in North Korea under the international environmental regimes, including UNFCCC, CBD, and Ramsar Convention. She also suggested how we can work together to combat the climate crisis.
Mungyeong International Wetland Seminar
To discuss the activities of wetland conservation, Mungyeong city and the Korean Wetland Society hosted the 2021 Mungyeong International Wetland Seminar on November 18. The main theme was the ecological value of Mungyeong Doline Wetland, one of the national wetlands in Korea, and how to incorporate CEPA into wetland protection policy. Dr. Bernhard Seliger, the representative of HSF Korea, attended the seminar as an invited discussant. He remarked on HSF Korea’s wetland conservation projects in North Korea – reintegration into international environment networks, capacity building, and outcome of conservation and wise use of wetlands. He also suggested conservation on CEPA activities at the local level, such as increasing local knowledge of projects, encouraging local pride in wetland, creating local ownership of a project, and mobilizing goodwill and local resources. Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi, senior researcher at HSF Korea, also attended the seminar and shared ways how the Koreas could cooperate to conserve wetlands.
Interview with PUAC
On November 18, The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC) posted an interview with Mr. Kim Young-Soo, the Project Manager of HSF Korea. During his interview with PUAC, Mr. Kim introduced and briefly explained HSF Korea and illustrated a series of HSF activities seeking for inter-Korean reconciliation and capacity-building projects. PUAC is a constitutional and direct advisory institution under the control of the president for the establishment of all policies regarding the fulfillment of democratic and peaceful unification in the Korean Peninsula.
Political and social exchanges with key partners
After the 19th German-Korean forum in early November in Seoul, we had the opportunity to have political and social exchanges with key partners. Hartmut Koschyk, Co-Chair of the German-Korean forum and Thomas Konhäuser, Secretary General of the Cultural Foundation of the Germans Expelled from Central and Eastern Europe also participated.
Conference with the Institute for Peace Affairs
HSF Korea participated in a conference with the Institute for Peace Affairs, Seoul, on the integration experiences of Germans expelled after World War II from Central and Eastern Europe and the situation of Koreans abroad today - millions of Koreans in all continents pose a challenge, but also a great chance for the cultural, economic and political peaceful development on the Korean Peninsula.
Local governments and inter-Korean exchange and cooperation
On November 25, the seminar on the role of local governments in inter-Korean exchange and cooperation took place co-hosted by Wonju City, Yonsei University and Hananuri Research Center. The experts reviewed the regulation and governance process for local governments' cooperation direction. Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi at HSF Korea participated as an invited speaker and talked about the exchange cooperation projects that HSF conducted in North Korea. She also suggested cooperation approaches with local governments.