German-South Korean relations

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German-South Korean relations
Location of Germany and South Korea
GermanyGermany Korea SouthSouth Korea
Germany South Korea

The Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Korea share some similarities, both countries have a shared history of WWII and experienced an economic miracle in the 1950s and 1960s. From an economic point of view, both countries have few raw materials and are market leaders in the high-tech sector. After the free trade agreement between the European Union and South Korea came into force in 2011, trade volumes increased rapidly. On the basis of intact political and economic relationships, cultural relationships are also promoted further.

Political relations between Germany and South Korea

The first contact between the Republic of Korea and the Federal Republic of Germany was at the beginning of 1953 regarding the Korean War by providing aid to Korea from the FRG through a donation to equip the medical treatment centers in South Korea and the dispatch of the German Red Cross . After that, a close and trusting mutual relationship developed. However, this was severely affected by the "East Berlin espionage affair" in 1967. It was only after almost three years that the conflicts caused by the affair were resolved and improved through mutual visits. The two countries maintain friendly relations to this day.

Laying of the foundation stone in the 1950s

After the end of the Korean War, the two countries established consultative (1954) and diplomatic (1957) relations. To reduce its economic and political dependence on the USA after its founding in 1948, the Republic of Korea was looking for a new partner. With this in mind, the South Korean government sent the Minister for Trade and Industry Kim Il-hwan to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1958. The Korean side was interested in the Federal Republic's participation in economic development and in further economic and technical cooperation. Accordingly, the Federal Minister of Economics Ludwig Erhard made a return visit in the same year . He indicated the willingness of the federal government to provide economic aid to the Republic of Korea. In addition to America, South Korea was the first to choose the FRG as one of the most important partners, as it was the largest economic power in Europe. From the point of view of the Federal Republic of Germany, South Korea, a poorly developed country, should be seen as a sales market, raw material supplier and destination of capital investments. The common interest of the two countries in economic cooperation led to the first mutual visits at ministerial level. These visits laid the foundation for bilateral relations between the Republic of Korea and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Deepening relationships and crisis in the 1960s to 1980s

State visit of the South Korean President Park Chung-hee to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1964

In 1964, the South Korean President Park Chung-hee visited the Federal Republic of Germany as the first head of state of the Republic of Korea. Federal President Heinrich Lübke paid a return visit to South Korea in 1967. This was considered to be the first state visit by a European head of state to South Korea. With these mutual visits, relations reached their climax. From the perspective of South Korea, the support of the Federal Republic of Germany for its development plans was of great relevance. The FRG was also ready to continue to provide financial help to fulfill the plans. In addition, the division problem came to the fore: Both South Korea and West Germany were confronted with a divided national territory and had to find a policy that could solve this situation. The common fate of the division of the two nations and the same goal of reunification not only created a friendly atmosphere, but also contributed to the promotion of relations and the generous development aid provided by the Federal Republic of Germany to South Korea. In mid-June 1967, a few months after the Federal President's visit to the Republic of Korea, the kidnapping of 17 South Koreans in the FRG to South Korea by the South Korean secret service became known. They were suspected of spying for North Korea. This affair had a very negative effect on mutual relations. Not only did this event worsen relations at government level, it also had a negative impact on the image of South Korea in the FRG. Only after a West German special delegation visited the Republic of Korea in early 1969 did the normalization of bilateral relations begin. These were further improved by the visit of Federal Foreign Minister Walter Scheel to the Republic of Korea in 1970. In April 1986, President Chun Doo-hwan made a trip to Europe to strengthen relations with the EC and the FRG, which also took him to Bonn. He focused on deepening economic cooperation, particularly in the field of technology and direct investment. In the 1970s and 1980s, mutual visits and collaboration in general strengthened the relationship.

The further development of bilateral relations

Park Geun-hye and Angela Merkel Summit 2014

After Germany reunified on October 3, 1990, North and South Korea remained a divided country. The 25th anniversary of German reunification fell in 2015, the seventieth anniversary of the division of Korea. The political experiences of German reunification are an alternative model for South Korea in search of its own path to Korean reunification. For this purpose, a committee of experts was created in 2011 whose aim, in cooperation between the Korean Ministry of Unification and the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, was to deepen the exchange of views on the topic of the association. In addition, the President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye , visited Berlin and Dresden in 2014 . The German President Joachim Gauck also visited Korea in 2015.

Economic relationships

The close economic ties between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Korea are illustrated by the following facts: After the People's Republic of China and Japan , Korea is Germany's third most important sales market in Asia. Germany is Korea's largest trading partner among European countries. According to Korean statistics, the bilateral trade volume was around 28.9 billion US dollars in 2014. In addition, many large Korean corporations such as B. Samsung , Hyundai and LG set up European centers in Germany.

The development of bilateral cooperation

The German-Korean economic relations can be traced back to the "Trade, Friendship and Shipping Treaty" in 1883. In the same year, the German trading company HC Eduard Meyer & Co. was founded to import goods from Germany that were necessary to modernize the country. Furthermore, Germany is one of the countries that granted Korea a loan in the 1960s. This enabled Korea to lay the foundations for its economic development and create its so-called “Han economic miracle” based on the model of the “Rhine economic miracle”. With the establishment of the German-Korean Chamber of Industry and Commerce in 1981, cooperation was taken to a new level. In most cases, the Chamber is still the first point of contact and support for German companies operating in Korea. A new high point in economic relations was the free trade agreement between the EU and Korea, which was signed in 2009 and entered into force in 2011, from which both sides benefit.

Economic relations within the framework of the free trade agreement

German exports from 2011 to the first half of 2015.

In 2011 the trade agreement between the European Union and Korea came into force. Trade on both sides rose 3.9% in the first six months. As Korea's largest trading partner in Europe, German exports to South Korea increased by more than 50% in the first half of 2015 compared to 2011. As a result of the dismantling of tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers, exports from the automotive industry to South Korea in the first half of 2015 exceeded the value in the first half of 2011 by 159%. Before that, South Korea was a difficult market for German car manufacturers due to non-tariff trade barriers. The other industries were also able to increase their exports to South Korea. Overall, Germany enjoys great advantages from the free trade agreement. Korea's trade deficits with Germany contrasted with surpluses with Central European countries.

Other fields of cooperation

The tenth German-Korean forum focused on the energy supply and security as well as the innovative ability of both countries. For geographic reasons, Korea is a low-energy country. 30 percent of the trade volume came from the country's energy supply. That is why Germany's energy concept of increasing energy efficiency in order to save energy or develop renewable energy is extremely interesting for South Korea. The development space for the new technology in the field of renewable energies is still large. German strategies and technologies, combined with Korean IT know-how, could lead to successful solutions, e.g. B. in the area of ​​smart grids, the intelligent networks, so Lee Tae-yong, scientist from Energy Economics Institute Korea. The CEO of Bosch Solar Energy AG, Holger von Hebel, sees the need for development in energy storage. Here, too, there are opportunities for cooperation. In contrast to Germany, there are almost no medium-sized companies in Korea. Despite technological strengths, dissatisfaction with inequality in society has increased. President Park Geun-hye is in favor of more economic equality and is again taking Germany as a role model. The cooperation between German and Korean medium-sized companies is particularly promoted by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the Central Innovation Program for SMEs. The first German-Korean tender for joint research and development projects by small and medium-sized companies took place in 2014.

Cultural relations

German-Korean consultations regarding the German-Korean community postage stamp in the Federal Ministry of Finance on June 18, 2012

On the basis of close political and economic cooperation, a new development of relations in the field of culture emerged. Korea was chosen as the focus country of the Berlin Asia-Pacific Weeks and the guest country of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2005. The historical similarities such as division and reconstruction after the Second World War contribute to the bilateral understanding. In addition, the Koreans' fondness for German music and literature should not be neglected. Around 5,500 Koreans are currently studying at German universities. German influence is strong in many academic areas in Korea, such as philosophy, theology and the legal field. In addition to the German Academic Exchange Service , the Goethe-Institut is also an instrument for intercultural contacts. In addition to the students, more than 33,000 Koreans currently live in Germany. They are the second largest Korean population in Europe after England. In the 1960s, many Koreans emigrated to Europe for economic reasons to work as guest workers. However, the large gaps in knowledge of Korean culture among Germans remain. So far, only large Korean companies such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG are known in Germany. However, Korean films and K-pop (Korean popular music) continue to fill these gaps in Korean culture . The widespread image of Korea ultimately contributes to increased sales. The memorandum on entry and residence of German and Korean citizens attracts more tourists to the respective countries.

literature

  • Jong-soo Han: Relations between the Republic of Korea and the Federal Republic of Germany 1948–1986. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1991.
  • Jae-young Park: Communism-Capitalism as a cause of national division. The image of divided Korea in German and divided Germany in Korean literature. Dissertation, Ossietzky University Oldenburg 2005 ( PDF; 1.3 MB ).
  • Germany Trade & Invest: Foreign direct investment in Germany Potentials Korea (REP.) As of July 2014 ( PDF; 2.5 MB ).
  • Hartmut Koschyk (Ed.): Germany, Korea. Divided, united. Olzog, Munich 2005.
  • Myoung-kyu Kang, Helmut Wagner: Korea and Germany. Lessons in division. National University Press, Seoul 1990.
  • Won-myoung Lee: On the question of the nation and reunification in divided Korea. Seoul Computer Press, Seoul 1989.

Web links

Commons : German-South Korean Relations  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Han, Jong-soo, Relations between the Republic of Korea and the Federal Republic of Germany 1948–1986, Frankfurt am Main, 1991, p. 109.
  2. ↑ KNTO / KOIS, edited by Thomas Schneider, "Economic Development and Relations with Germany" , 2001. (Accessed January 27, 2016)
  3. ↑ Park, Jae-young, “Communism-Capitalism as a Cause of National Division The Image of Divided Korea in German and Divided Germany in Korean Literature (since the 1950s)” , 2005. (Accessed January 27, 2016)
  4. ↑ See Han, Jong-soo, the relations between the Republic of Korea and the Federal Republic of Germany 1948–1986, Frankfurt am Main, 1991, pp. 104–114.
  5. ↑ The Federal Archives, “Korea in German History 1945–1990” ( Memento of the original from March 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. As of July 15, 2013 (accessed on January 27, 2016) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bundesarchiv.de
  6. ↑ German Embassy Seoul, "Mutual Visits ... from the Federal Republic of Germany in the Republic of Korea" ( Memento of the original from January 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . (Accessed January 27, 2016) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.seoul.diplo.de
  7. ↑ See Han, Jong-soo, the relations between the Republic of Korea and the Federal Republic of Germany 1948–1986, Frankfurt am Main, 1991, pp. 121–131.
  8. ↑ Han, Jong-soo, Relations between the Republic of Korea and the Federal Republic of Germany 1948–1986, Frankfurt am Main, 1991, pp. 132–147.
  9. ↑ a b Foreign Office, "Relations between the Republic of Korea and Germany" , 2015. (Accessed January 27, 2016)
  10. ↑ German Embassy Seoul, "President Park is received by Federal President Gauck" ( Memento of the original from January 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 2014. (Accessed January 27, 2016) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.seoul.diplo.de
  11. ↑ Federal President, "State visits to South Korea and Mongolia" , 2015. (Accessed January 27, 2016)
  12. ↑ Cf. Chung, Kyu-Hwa, German-Korean cultural relations yesterday and today, in Koschyk, Hartmut (ed.), Germany, Korea divided, united, Munich, 2005, p. 287.
  13. ↑ See Lee, Soo-hyuck , Status and Perspectives of German-Korean Relations, in Koschyk, Hartmut (ed.), Germany, Korea divided, united, Munich, 2005, p. 33.
  14. ↑ a b c Heymann, Eric, “German industrial sectors benefit from free trade” (as of September 1, 2015). (Accessed January 27, 2016)
  15. ↑ a b c "X. German-Korean Forum " , 2011. (Accessed January 27, 2016)
  16. ↑ Ministry of Economics, Energy, Industry, Medium-Sized Enterprises and Crafts of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, "Cooperation with Korea in Medium-Sized Enterprises" ( Memento of the original from February 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 2014. (Accessed February 4, 2016) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.exzellenz.nrw.de
  17. ↑ See Stern, Tobias, German-South Korean Relations - also a topic for the younger generations of both countries, in Koschyk, Hartmut (ed.), Germany, Korea divided, united, Munich, 2005, pp. 177f.