Activities
Events, meetings, and publications in the 1st half of January
CBS Interview of a Partner of HSF
On January 8, DMZ Research Institute, led by Mr. Kim Seung-Ho and one of the participating organizations of EAAFP Small Grant-Hanns Seidel Foundation Special Call, was interviewed by CBS Morning on "The DMZ that separates North and South is a haven for wildlife". Through this project, Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Korea is currently supporting the monitoring of migratory birds with a focus on cranes. Have a look at the segment broadcasted by CBS Morning in English here.
Image Credit: © KCNA via KNS/AFP/Getty
Financial Times Interview with Dr. Seliger
Dr. Bernhard Seliger, Representative of HSF Korea, was interviewed by The Financial Times. The article was published on January 11 with the title “Natural disasters drive North Korea’s embrace of international climate goals”. Read the Korean article here and access the English version here.
Future Collaborations focusing on Wetlands
On January 12, HSF Korea held a meeting with environmental experts Prof. Lee Sangdon and Prof. Kim Hak-Beom. Prof. Lee Sangdon, from Ewha Womans University, is a member of Ramsar scientific experts. He has experience in environmental impact assessments and wetland restoration and mitigation. He also led research projects on wetland inventory, river ecology of migratory birds, conservation of the DMZ, and climate change. Prof. Kim Hak-Beom, from Hankyong University, is head of the advisory body for South-North Korea Cultural Heritage Policy Forum, which was launched in 2019. The experts’ research topics and activities are closely connected to HSF Korea’s fields of interest.
Prof. Lee and Prof. Kim visited HSF Korea to meet Dr. Bernhard Seliger, Representative of HSF Korea, and Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi to discuss future cooperation. While Prof. Lee shared ideas on how to conserve wetlands and on wetland inventory in both Koreas, Dr. Seliger explained HSF Korea’s wetland projects and suggested future cooperation in the form of virtual workshops and rice field protection. They agreed to collaborate on diverse programs such as workshops, capacity building, and surveys.
Meeting about Cooperation on the Korean Peninsula
Also, on January 12, Dr. jur. Lee Jang-Hie, President of the Asian Social Science Research Institute, and Prof. Lee Dong-Won, from Sun Moon University, visited HSF Korea to share their ideas and opinions on cooperation on the Korean Peninsula. Dr. Bernhard Seliger, Representative of HSF Korea, and Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi met with them and shared thoughts on future cooperation.
Meeting with the German Embassy Seoul
Mr. Peter Winkler, Head of Mission, and Third Secretary Ms. Anke Schaitel from the German Embassy Seoul visited the office of HSF Korea on January 13. They sat down with Dr. Bernhard Seliger, Representative of HSF Korea, and Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi, Senior Researcher. The group exchanged pleasantries and discussed ideas on biodiversity conservation and climate change.
Article on Forests and Climate Change in North Korea
Dr. Bernhard Seliger, Representative of HSF Korea, wrote an article about forests and climate change in North Korea. Ms. Youjin Cho, Researcher at HSF Korea, also contributed translation to the article. The article with the title "Inter-Korean Cooperation: Forests and Wetlands - North Korean Forests and Carbon Neutrality" was published on January 13 and can be accessed here.