An East German Perspective on Korean Reunification

While we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the reunification of Germany and remember more than 25 years of the Peaceful Revolution towards the end that took place in Leipzig and across the German Democratic Republic (GDR), it is also important to turn our attention to the still divided Korean Peninsula, and to maintain the vision of ‘One Korea’. The emphasis should really be on the word ‘vision’. More than 60 years after the devastating Korean War, the Peninsula remains divided and families separated. While people in the south enjoy relative prosperity and freedom, people in the north are oppressed, starving and denied even fundamental human rights. It is important that the world community makes it clear that the people of North Korea are not forgotten. The Cold War is not over on the Korean Peninsula. The fragile Demilitarized Zone is a sad reminder of that reality.