koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2024/10/113_50971.html
Germany Shares Unification Experience With Korea
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Thirty years ago, talking about North Korea or unification was taboo in South Korea. The opening of the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation wasn't easily welcomed.
When East and West Germany finally came together on Oct. 3, 1990, the foundation added a new agenda: sharing the German unification experience with Korea.
This past Wednesday, the 43-year-old foundation celebrated its 30th anniversary in Korea. Equipped with direct and hands-on projects, it is now well-established and accepted in the Asian country.
The foundation was founded in 1956 on the values of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a Christian democratic and conservative party.
It is named after the German politician Konrad Adenauer, who served as CDU chairman between 1950 and 1966, and as the first chancellor of West Germany between 1949 and 1963.
The party is currently led by Angela Merkel, who is Germany's first female chancellor.
The foundation is a true political entity under the influence of the political party, Marc Ziemek, a representative of the foundation, told The Korea Times. Yet, it is funded by the German government, which dilutes its political vividness.
The Korean office is one of 70 international branches, which are mainly located in developing countries. In these nations, Germany strives to extend influence of its values, democracy, rule of law and social market economy.
"Unification (in Korea) is very important to us," said Ziemek. "That's why we are still engaged in Korea."
The foundation carries out numerous projects with less than 10 full-time staffers.
Among them, and one of the most successful and fruitful programs, is a mentor program for "saeteomin", or North Korea refugees.
For the past three years, the foundation has matched nearly 200 young North Korean refugees with South Korean volunteers ― mainly college students ― as mentors and mentees.
"They not only teach history, mathematics, or English, but also they help them integrate into society," said Ziemek. "It is very important. The subject is the medium to transport the values."
Through the program, Ziemek is attempting to strengthen social integration efforts as part of the unification process.
Twenty years after the collapse of the Berlin wall, "the biggest challenge (in Germany) is to destroy the wall in the mind," Ziemek said.
On the Korean Peninsula, where the two countries have been completely separated for more than half a century, the social gap will be much more pronounced, he added.
"The most impressive sign is the dedication of many mentors, who voluntarily stay with this program for several months or even years," said Ziemek. "This keeps hopes high that integration can be achieved and all obstacles can be overcome.
"The program also shows that people who initially are reluctant to engage with "saeteomin" also change their attitude and soon this initial reluctance turns into curiosity, followed by sincere interest."
Park Geun-hye, former chairwoman of the governing Grand National Party and the eldest daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee, was a recipient of the foundation's organized trip to Germany.
The foundation's 30th anniversary in Korea coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany and the 20th anniversary of the fall of Berlin wall.
On a personal level, the representative is finishing up his three-year duty in Korea later this month.
For the future, the outgoing representative projected that the foundation would diversify its focus by promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) and educating the young generation about politics.
"I think there will be more work to be done once united," he said, projecting that unification would draw more foundations like the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation to the country.