International organizations (IOs) and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) play a significant role for the preparation of a future unification on the Korean Peninsula. According to the data of the Ilmin International Relations Institute (IIRI) of Korea University about 200 IOs and NGOs are directly or indirectly involved in projects related to North Korea. On April 15th a conference was hosted by the Korea University to discuss past experiences and ways of how these organizations can contribute to the Korean Unification.

10 years ago, in 2007, the Institute for Peace and Unification Stuides (IPUS) at Seoul National University was founded. Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea cooperated with SNU already since 2005 in the field of unification studies, and from the beginning of the new institute was partnering with the institution.

In mid-April 2016 in Ulanbataar in Mongolia the first Northeast Asian meeting of alumni of Hanns-Seidel-Foundation took place, with former scholarship students of Mongolia, China, North and South Korea. Hanns-Seidel-Foundation since decades hands out scholarships for students in the region, in particular for doctoral studies in Germany, but also short other studies like specialized master courses. Dr. Michael Czepalla, head of the department of foreign scholarships, and Willi Lange, head of the Northeast Asia department of Hanns-Seidel-Foundation, organized the conference together with Prof. Dr. Sarantuya, head of HSF in Mongolia.

A new edition of the magazine “The Unified Korea”, which deals with topics concerning the reunification, has been published by the Institute for Peace Affairs, a long-standing partner of the Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea.