Activities
Meetings in May
On May 10, Ms Jimin Han, Team leader, and her colleague, Ms Jiyoung Lee, Officer, Environment Department of Goyang City, visited HSF Korea to discuss environmental cooperation along the Janghang Wetland, designated as Han River Estuary Protected Area, Ramsar site and EAAF site. Dr Hyun-Ah Choi, HSF Korea, explained HSF’s wetland and biodiversity activities and shared ideas for future cooperation.
On May 16, Prof. Bernhard Seliger, representative of HSF Korea, gave a presentation on his experiences in working with North Korea to the International Policy Forum of the National Assembly, one of the most prestigious and prolific study groups in the National Assembly for staffers, members, researchers etc. Looking back at the first decade of the reign of leader Kim Jong-Un, Prof. Seliger estimated the current economic and humanitarian situation as very serious. Dialogue and humanitarian programs could go on after a re-opening of the country after corona, but it is questionable how the framework conditions for such activities will be. Kim Young-Soo, project manager of HSF Korea, kindly translated the presentation and many questions from the audience.
On occasion of the visit of MP Andreas Scheuer, former German Federal Minister of Transport and CEO of Asia Bridge, HSF organized a visit to the inner-Korean border area on May 17 with kind assistance of Major General Ivo Burgener, Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, Swiss Delegation. In his briefing, Major General Burgener helped us to better understand the current situation and challenges at the DMZ and the role of various actors in preserving peace at this high-tension border.
Ms Young-Sook Gang, Ms Bo-Kyong Kim, and Ms Young-Hoe Cha, students of inter-Korean forest cooperation, visited HSF Korea on May 23 to understand of German foundation’s forest cooperation on the Korean Peninsula. The staff of HSF Korea shared our experiences and activities in the field of forest with the students. Last but not least, Prof. Bernhard Seliger, representative of HSF Korea, suggested a more eco and environmentally-friendly plan for environmental planning without concrete-based restoration.
On the same day interesting discussions with former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn about the Korean Peninsula, the role of Korea in the world and Korean politics.
Prof. Bernhard Seliger, representative of HSF Korea, had an interview with KBS 1TV Documentary “WINDOW (Chang)” related to HSF’s activities – climate change and North Korea and the program was on TV on 30 May 2023. Mr. Kim Young-Soo, project manager at HSF Korea, also supported this interview.
You can watch this program here: https://bit.ly/3MOqySg