Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea at the Unification Fair 2016
HSF Korea at the Unification Fair 2016; second from left: Dr. Bernhard Seliger, resident representative of HSF Korea office, third from left: Dr. Susanne Luther, Director of the Institute for International Cooperation of Hanns Seidel Foundation
On Friday, 27th May 2016, Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo held a speech during the opening ceremony of the Unification Fair 2016 that over 160 organizations and institutions took part in and set up booths to tell about their efforts toward Korean unification. Visitors were encouraged to inform themselves about the various projects and experience the organizations’ work through games, pictures, and leaflets, DVDs, and books that the different participants had prepared at their booths.
HSF welcomed many Korean and foreign visitors and informed about its work in South and North Korea and about the German unification experience. A special guest was the Director of the Institute for International Cooperation of Hanns Seidel Foundation, Dr. Susanne Luther. She was welcomed by the local staff of HSF Korea and stayed to listen to a rendition of the Korean folk song “Arirang” by the “Streitauer Chor”. You can find a link to a video of their performance at the end of this article. The choir is part of an exchange project organized by HSF. The “Streitauer Chor” from the former German border area visited Korea for a concert tour and amongst other parts of Korea visited the South Korean border provinces Gangwon (Goseong county) and Gyeonggi (Yeoncheon county) to exchange experiences.
Some of HSF Korea’s partners participated in the Unification Fair as well. For example, Mr. Jin Shin from the Institute for Peace Affairs (IPA) visited our booth. IPA and HSF organize, amongst other activities, a Unification Forum.
Moreover, representatives of HSF visited the booth of the KRC. HSF and the KRC Inter-Korean Cooperation Center, Rural Research Institute (RRI) are currently conducting a joint research project.
Another partner of HSF that hosted a booth at the Unification Fair is the Korean Institute for National Unification (KINU). HSF Korea and KINU conducted the joint research project “Green Détente”, exploring opportunities of environmental engagement on the Korean Peninsula.
HSF Korea is happy to have successfully informed many visitors and students at the Unification Fair about its work and to have distributed many books and leaflets among the interested audience.
Video: The "Streitauer Chor" performs "Arirang" at the Unification Fair 2016.