Forum
Preparatory Seminar for the German-Korean Junior Forum

This year's German-Korean Forum and Junior Forum will start tomorrow, which was again accompanied by a preparatory seminar for the participants. This program extended over the entire last week and included various program points on political, cultural and economic topics.

The kick-off event was held at the residence of the German Embassy, where Deputy Ambassador Peter Winkler warmly welcomed the delegation. Following his political input, Felix Kalkowsky, Vice President of the German-Korean Chamber of Commerce, offered insight into the economic relationship between Germany and Korea. The afternoon program took place at the Seoul branch of TÜV Rheinland, where Regional Manager Frank Jüttner and his team provided insights into the company's structures and laboratory work.

The highlight of the next two days was then a trip to Goseong, the northernmost province of South Korea, directly on the DMZ and border with North Korea. The German delegation was warmly welcomed by Deputy District Administrator Kim Mung-gi in the conference room of the Goseong District Office. Mr. Kim Un-jung, administrative chief of the county, gave a lecture on the topic "Korean Border Region: Nearly 70 Years of Division of the Country, Future and Unification Prospects of the Country". The following program consisted of a visit to the Reunification Observatory on the inter-Korean border with North Korea, the DMZ Museum, the Hwajinpo area, and two Buddhist monasteries, Konbongsa and Hwaamsa.

On the last day of the program, the German delegation was allowed to visit the Unification Education Center and attend a seminar on "Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia - Prospects for Future Development in the Region" and participate in the seminar by asking various questions. Afterwards, there was an opportunity to interview two North Korean refugees on site. In the afternoon, the Chairman of the Korean-German Parliamentary Group, Mr. Lee Sang-Min, allowed the delegation to visit the premises of the National Assembly, a round of talks with him personally and a tour of the plenary hall.

The whole program was designed, organized and personally supervised by Kim Young-Soo, Project Manager of HSS. Thanks to him, the participants were able to enjoy the time so far in a cordial atmosphere with high content and are now well prepared for the coming days of the Junior Forum. On the German side, the delegation was personally accompanied and supported by Thomas Konhäuser and Lee Muhong of the German-Korean Forum e. V..