Roundtable
Expert Roundtable on the Occasion of the Visit of the German Frigate “Bayern”

On the occasion of the visit of German Frigate “Bayern” to the port of Busan from 2 – 6 Dec. 2021, HSF Korea, together with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Korea (FES), the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Korea (KAS), the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Korea (FNF), and the German Embassy in Seoul, organized an Expert Roundtable on December 3, 2021. Major topics of the expert discussion were the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific, focusing on German, European and Korean security, and strategic partnerships in the region.

The frigate left her home port of Wilhelmshaven on August 2 and will be deployed until the end of February 2022 with more than 230 crew members on board. Among other things, she will support the NATO operation “Sea Guardian” in the Mediterranean and the EU anti-piracy mission “Atalanta” in the Horn of Africa as well as participate in the monitoring of the UN sanctions against North Korea. This marks the first time in 19 years that a German frigate visited the Indo-Pacific.

For the Roundtable, distinguished experts hailing from academia, diplomacy, and military gathered to exchange expertise and opinions, and to stimulate meaningful debate on issues connected to German and European policies in the Indo-Pacific. The discussion was moderated by Ambassador Yungwoo Chun, who served in the South Korean Foreign Ministry for over 30 years. Eight experts, as well as the captain of the Frigate Bayern, the German and EU Ambassadors, and the German Chief of Navy elaborated on issues pertaining to the situation in the Indo-Pacific, such as the rise of China, and the UN sanctions regime against North Korea.

After the Roundtable, all participants visited the Busan Naval Base where they were welcomed by Commander of the Frigate, Captain Tilo Kalski, and received a tour of the frigate by the crew members. The successful event stands as an example of the close relationship between Germany, Europe, and the Republic of Korea.