Ricarda Steinbach and Robert Lebegern visiting South Korea

On Tuesday a trip was made to the district Yeoncheon, the partner district of the German district Hof, to meet District Administrator Kim Kyu Sun. Administrator Kim gave a short insight into the inter-Korean relationship and cooperation, which was rather abruptly ended by North Korean nuclear and missile tests. Until last year there has been an international exchange and cooperation of soccer youth teams of both Koreas, and it is unfortunate, that due to North Korean provocations those relations cannot be continued.

After a short visit to a military observation point at the border to North Korea, Ricarda Steinbach and Robert Lebegern gave a speech about their individual work at the German border museums and the situation during and after the division of Germany at the Educational Center for Korean Unification. They talked about „The importance and responsibility of the German memorials 26 years after reunification - The Point Alpha memorial and the Deutsch-Deutsches Museum Mödlareuth“.

Additionally our two German guests were invited to attend the 1-year anniversary of the Tongil Hanguk Forum and the 26th German-Korean workshop. In his welcoming speech Son Jae Sik, President of the Tongil Hanguk Forum, referred to Germany as an important role model regarding Korean reunification, as Germany, despite its history, was able to reunite its society, politics, and economy, and to become a strong, prosperous united nation. And despite all the international and national political changes and turmoil, like the election of Donald Trump or the scandal involving Korean President Park, there is still great hope of international cooperation and Korean unification. That is, amongst others, a main idea of the Forum, where ideas on reunification, solutions, and different approaches are discussed. This time Ricarda Steinbach and Robert Lebegern made a valuable contribution to the Forum, and their statements on Korean unification, which is likely to happen within the next 10 to 20 years, were greatly approved by the other participants.

On Thursday, the group went on a drive to the district Goseong, which is the only divided district in both Koreas. After a short stopover at the reunification observatory close to the border, they went to the near DMZ Museum, the partner museum of both German border museums, to talk about further cooperation. A permanent exhibition on German division and reunification is planned to be realised in the next couple of years.

Encounter and cooperation - important terms for the future and its development, which are also main ideas of the annual German-Korean Forum. The next German-Korean Forum is going to take place in Fulda, Germany next year summer. During their stay in Korea Ricarda Steinbach and Robert Lebegern together with Kim Young Soo and various partners, like the DMZ Museum, could share ideas and thoughts on the upcoming event.

Their visit was not only a significant part of the German-Korean cooperation, but a ray of hope regarding the tedious reunification process of the two Korean nations, which have been in a state of division since more than 70 years.