Germany marking 30th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall with special event in Seoul
- 5 years ago
Saturday will mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
To mark the monumental day, an art event kicked off in central Seoul on Thursday.
It's significant as artists played a big role in bringing German people together after the wall of division was torn down.
Eum Ji-young reports.
To mark of the fall of the Berlin Wall three decades ago, Berlin Nights Seoul burst into life on Thursday.
The four-day event is open to all and guests are treated to free drinks and traditional German food.
There's pop-up cinema and photo exhibitions, including pictures depicting what Berlin was like 30 years ago.
Berlin Nights Seoul also features showcases and parties with DJs from the German capital.
One of them, Dr.Motte, is the founder of Loveparade,... a techno music and dance festival first held in Berlin in July 1989 which was registered as a demonstration for "Peace, Joy and Pancakes".
"It was something that never happened before in Berlin and it was a new way of demonstration in the streets."
Germany's Ambassador to South Korea, who attended the event, said German unification was realized partly because of musicians because they discovered new spaces to celebrate together when the wall came down.
He also shared what it means for him to represent his country in the only still divided nation in the world.
"I think there's no other nation which can really appreciate what the Koreans must be feeling at these times of confrontation and division of nation. This is why from the bottom of our heart, we really hope that in the not too distant future, the Koreans will be able to celebrate as well the unification and peace and freedom."
Even though he mentioned the difficulties facing the Korean people, he stressed the need to keep trying.
"I'm confident that with the policy which has been pursued by the international community and also in particular by your president, President Moon Jae-in of peace and reconciliation, trying to establish peace regime on the Korean Peninsula will overcome these problems."
The ambassador said South Korea and the international community should reach out to the North Korean people so that Koreans can work toward a more peaceful and prosperous future.
Eum Ji-young, Arirang News.
To mark the monumental day, an art event kicked off in central Seoul on Thursday.
It's significant as artists played a big role in bringing German people together after the wall of division was torn down.
Eum Ji-young reports.
To mark of the fall of the Berlin Wall three decades ago, Berlin Nights Seoul burst into life on Thursday.
The four-day event is open to all and guests are treated to free drinks and traditional German food.
There's pop-up cinema and photo exhibitions, including pictures depicting what Berlin was like 30 years ago.
Berlin Nights Seoul also features showcases and parties with DJs from the German capital.
One of them, Dr.Motte, is the founder of Loveparade,... a techno music and dance festival first held in Berlin in July 1989 which was registered as a demonstration for "Peace, Joy and Pancakes".
"It was something that never happened before in Berlin and it was a new way of demonstration in the streets."
Germany's Ambassador to South Korea, who attended the event, said German unification was realized partly because of musicians because they discovered new spaces to celebrate together when the wall came down.
He also shared what it means for him to represent his country in the only still divided nation in the world.
"I think there's no other nation which can really appreciate what the Koreans must be feeling at these times of confrontation and division of nation. This is why from the bottom of our heart, we really hope that in the not too distant future, the Koreans will be able to celebrate as well the unification and peace and freedom."
Even though he mentioned the difficulties facing the Korean people, he stressed the need to keep trying.
"I'm confident that with the policy which has been pursued by the international community and also in particular by your president, President Moon Jae-in of peace and reconciliation, trying to establish peace regime on the Korean Peninsula will overcome these problems."
The ambassador said South Korea and the international community should reach out to the North Korean people so that Koreans can work toward a more peaceful and prosperous future.
Eum Ji-young, Arirang News.