Germany was divided for 41 years. It's been 73 years in Korea now. There is no reunification in sight. The Chancellor visits the border and tries to spread hope.
Panmunjom. During a visit to the inter-Korean border, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) recalled German reunification 36 years ago. “Let us hope that one day Korea will also have the chance to regain state unity,” he said on the edge of the demilitarized zone after a detour to the so-called demarcation line between the two Korean states.
“You can also see here in this place how much a country like this is suffering from division and how much there is a desire to be reunified, at least in this part of the Korean peninsula.” Merz added that he was also asked several times about the German experiences with reunification during his talks in Seoul.
The Korean peninsula has been divided since the Korean War (1950 to 1953). The northern part of the country is ruled by the authoritarian ruler Kim Jong Un, the southern part is a democracy. A 248 kilometer border line divides the Korean peninsula between the two countries and runs along the 38th parallel. There is a demilitarized zone about two kilometers wide on both sides of the border.
Merz visited one of the iconic blue barracks on the border line, through the middle of which the border runs. Whenever North and South Korea hold direct talks with each other, they do so there. This is exactly where the then South Korean President Moon Jae In and North Korea's leader Kim shook hands in 2018.
It was the first time that a North Korean leader had set foot on South Korean soil, even if only a few steps. Merz also crossed the border inside the barracks. This is only possible at this point. “It was even the case that our feet were practically already on North Korean territory,” he said later.
It is not a given that a German head of government would travel to the border when visiting South Korea. Olaf Scholz was there on his inaugural visit in 2023. Before that, Helmut Kohl was the last chancellor on the so-called demarcation line in 1993. A few years after the fall of the Wall, the then CDU chairman expressed the hope that Korean reunification could also occur in Korea within a decade. Nothing came of it.
Since the historic handshake in 2018, the vision of reunification has become significantly less likely. Kim has officially abandoned the decades-old goal of peaceful state unity. Since 2024, he has had all historic train and road connections between the two countries blown up and fortified the already heavily armed border with landmines and barricades. Most recently, self-propelled howitzers were spotted along the North Korean border.
Tensions between the two countries are still high. Shortly before the Chancellor's arrival, North Korea fired around ten short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan, according to the South Korean military.
While Merz was attending an economic conference in Seoul, North Korea's leader Kim announced in Pyongyang that he would strive for "absolute superiority" in drone technology, according to the state news agency KCNA.
Merz spoke of a “daily threat” to South Korea and in the same breath accused China of supporting North Korea and Russia in the war against Ukraine.
However, all diplomatic efforts to ease tensions are currently coming to nothing. Just a week ago, the South Korean government again proposed starting talks with North Korea. However, Kim has not yet signaled any willingness to do so.
Merz is still trying to encourage the Koreans. “Korea and Germany share the painful experience of division,” he wrote in the president’s guest book shortly after his arrival in South Korea. “I also wish the people in Korea what we can experience in Germany: unity in freedom.”
During his visit, the Chancellor made it clear why the conflict also affects Germany and Europe. North Korea has significantly expanded its military cooperation with Russia since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Pyongyang delivered large quantities of artillery ammunition and rockets and, according to South Korean intelligence estimates, sent around 15,000 soldiers to support Moscow. In return, North Korea is believed to receive financial support, military technology and security guarantees from Russia.
"Korea's security affects Europe's security. And Europe's security also affects Korea's security," said Merz. “The world is small - even in war.”
Because the security of Europe and Korea is linked, two German officers are now also taking part in the US-led United Nations Command (UNC), which monitors the ceasefire on the Korean peninsula. This also shows “that security in the world can no longer be divided, but that we have to ensure it everywhere,” said Merz. In the evening he wanted to fly back to Berlin after four days in Asia and stops in three countries.
