140 Years Korean-German Partnerships Conference

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to this special conference themed, "Beyond Boarders: Together for another 140 years," celebrating the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Germany. The conference is jointly co-organized by Alumninetzwerk Deutschland-Korea (ADeKo) and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Seoul.

Over the last three years, we have experienced unexpected ordeals, mostly owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has drastically changed our daily lifestyles and partly disrupted our personal livelihoods. The role of ADeKo could be described as "bringing together our two nations in order to strengthen the long-lasting partnerships." I extend my appreciation to all public organizations, industries, and individual members who have supported ADeKo over the years.

As we commemorate the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Germany, it is now the right time to review the cooperative activities so far, explore ways to deepen the partnership, and conceptualize new approaches of cooperation. We have two questions: 1) How can partners learn about each other's various activities to avoid cases of duplicated research and identify complementary areas? 2) Which form of cooperation will best meet the goal to acquire external knowledge and thereby minimize the risk for knowledge loss of one's own? These questions stem from the notion that sharing one's own latest movement with others always requires a high level of trust for a successful partnership. Now, the Korean–German relationship could be further enhanced by mutual activities, and the cooperation presents an important means to meet such challenges and engender a better future.

At the ADeKo conference, five thematic sessions will discuss different facets of these important matters. These include i) Young Leaders as Generation MZ in Korea; ii) Industry Data Ecosystem, Gaia-X; iii) Future Growth Drivers "Higher Vocational Education" and "Civic Education"; iv) The Data Economy: Korean and German Industrial Policy Directions and Strategies; and v) Research in Germany (DAAD). International high-profile speakers, panelists, and participants will share feasible ideas, which could be a key to resolving the urgent global issues of climate change and energy divide. In particular, experts from different scientific communities, governments, economy, and academia will engage in lively debates to identify cooperation areas that can bear a competitive advantage and facilitate international development. This explains why numerous experts from the fields of science, industries, and politics have shown interest in the ADeKo conference.

I hope that the relationship between Korea and Germany over the next 140 years will continue to grow through our conferences. Furthermore, I wish all the participants some inspiring days and hope to share the friendship and energy in our future lives as well.

Prof. Dr. Hyo-Joon Kim

Chairman of ADeKo