XV. German-Korean Forum in Gyeongju

The German-Korean Forum was founded in 2002 in Seoul in the presence of the then Federal president Johannes Rau, and the South Korean Premier Lee Han-dong. The goal was to invite both German and Korean representatives from the fields of politics, economy, and society to talk about the German-Korean relationship. The annual forum is hosted alternately in South Korea and Germany.

This year the forum was held in Gyeongju, South Korea. Following the welcome reception by the mayor of Gyeongju, Choi Yang-shik, in the Garden of Hwangnyongwon, the two chairmen of the forum, Dr. Kim Sun-uk and Hartmut Koschyk MP, welcomed the guests.

The first day focused mainly on the current political, economic, and societal state in Germany and Korea. On the German side, the general development between East and West Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the attempt to compensate both states were discussed. Furthermore, the speakers talked about the debt and financial crisis, as well as the Brexit, which had a significant effect on the German population. Moreover, the refugee issue was brought up during the presentations, as its effect is not negligible either for the tense situation in Germany.

Afterwards, Dr. Kim Young-hee commented on the difficult political situation in South Korea due to North Korean provocations. The South Korean government would respond to these provocations by asking the USA for help regarding the installation of their advanced anti-missile system THAAD. It has been a long time since the tension on the Korean peninsula was similar severe. Dr. Kim talked about the risk of the so-called “preventive strike” to become the general attitude on the peninsula. Instead of military attacks, sanctions are preferred. However, the South Korean allies are still asked for support in the case of a North Korean attack.

“The digitalization of the economy: Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory” was the title of the second session. The session dealt with the so-called “Smart Factories”, the future of our economy. Innovation of the system, communication between the different members involved, improvement of the logistics and productivity, as well as the quality check, are the fundamentals of the “Smart Factories”. In Germany the concept of “Smart Factories” is existent, however, a technical basis is lacking.

The third session was called “The cultural state of both countries in their respective regions: current situation and future development”. In this session, the guests of the forum talked about the roles of Berlin and Seoul as a cultural omphalos in Europe and Asia. A so-called cultural “shift-in” has been established. Besides, culture is a sort of means to unify nations. Korean TV shows, music, and movies (“Hallyu”) arouse people’s interest in Korean lifestyle, and more and more Korean cosmetic products are launched worldwide. The general aim is to preserve Korean culture by introducing it to the world.

In several working groups, topics like “global responsibility”, “the role of women in politics, economy and society”, and “the conservation and restoration of the cultural heritage after the reunification” were dealt with. South Korea as a former recipient of official development assistance (ODA) turned into a donor country. The goals: “Peace, Human Rights, Sustainability”. In the EU, mainly challenges like migration, climate change, and a growing middle class in industrializing nations exist. Challenges in Korea are mostly social polarisations, declining growth rates, and an ageing society. Concerning the environment, the guests of the German-Korean Forum discussed about the exchange of best practices between Korea and Germany. The terms “think global, act local” and “green détente” were of high importance during the session.