German Ambassador Rolf Mafael (right) and his wife pose for a photo during a reception celebrating the Day of German Unity at a hotel in Seoul on Thursday. (Philip Iglauer/The Korea Herald)
The German Embassy celebrated the country’s Day of German Unity this year by underscoring close commercial ties and cooperation on science and technology with South Korea during a reception in Seoul on Thursday.
The theme this year was “25 years of Peaceful Revolution in the GDR,” referencing the official name of East Germany. The embassy and partner organizations organized dozens of events to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall separating East and West Germany and to look back on the success of the national unification.
“In autumn of 1989, the citizens of the GDR succeeded in something that never had happened in the history of Germany, a successful yet peaceful revolution. The Monday protests in Leipzig were a crucial catalyst for political pressure that finally led to the opening of the wall. First freedom then unification, this was the essence of the political developments in 1989 and 1990,” German Ambassador to South Korea Rolf Mafael said in remarks welcoming some 600 guests.
The European country’s Day of German Unity is officially celebrated on Oct. 3. This year the German Embassy held its National Day reception at a local hotel instead of the ambassador’s residence as it usually does due to the rain.
“In view of this history, I am very happy that Dresden and Leipzig are this year’s cohosts of our reception,” Mafael said, citing the cities as impressive examples of a unification success story that President Park Geun-hye might describe as a “German Daebak.”
President Park predicted the unification of the Korean Peninsula would produce a jackpot, or “daebak” in Korean, for both North and South during a speech she delivered in Dresden in late March of this year.
The reception showcased advanced German technology and design, including luxury hybrid electric cars. Leipzig and Dresden are the two largest cities for Germany’s auto industry, dubbed the country’s “Autoland Sachsen.” Three cars on display ― including BMW’s new i8 and Porsche’s Panamera S e-hybrid ― attracted crowds at the reception.
(ephilip2014@heraldcorp.com)
