Before the Asian-Pacific conference hosted by Germany’s business community in Seoul, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU emphasized the importance of the economic relations between Germany and South Korea, announcing his intention to deepen these ties further. During his address in Seoul on Thursday, Merz stated, “We want to jointly create and market innovations-from the semiconductor industry to quantum computing and industrial AI, which we have already discussed extensively. Only this enables us to jointly shape the world of tomorrow.”
However, the Chancellor stressed that the partnership is not solely based on technology and trade. “Our partnership comes alive through the connection between societies and people,” he added. He noted that the current year marks the 60th anniversary of the recruitment agreement, which led to “approximately 10,000 nurses arriving in Germany.”
Merz then recalled that these nurses followed around 8,000 Korean miners, stating that they had contributed to the economic success of Germany and laid the foundation for deep human relationships between the two countries. The CDU politician continued that contemporary aspects of their partnership-such as creativity, curiosity, ingenuity, diligence, and ideas for a shared future-are what give the relationship strength.
He also highlighted the shared values and experiences of both nations. Merz declared, “We are defensive democracies that actively advocate for an international order based on rules for everyone.” He further remarked on both nations being peoples who have endured the “bittere experience of division.” The Chancellor concluded by expressing his hope that, someday, they could also share the history of the reunification of Korea.
