Rational people of Germany and Korea must step up collaboration to solve irrational challenges facing the globe, former German President Horst Kohler said last week at an alumni gathering of Germans and Koreans.

Addressing a crowd of over 150 diplomats, scholars and businessmen, Kohler said the two countries should form a coalition to tackle global challenges of climate change, terrorism, epidemics, poverty and refugees.

Kohler, who also headed the International Monetary Fund from 2000 to 2004, came to Korea to participate in international seminars along with former German politicians Peter Hartz and Horst Teltschik.

They spoke at a reception organized by Alumninetzwerk Deutschland-Korea, ADEKO, at the German ambassador’s residence in Seoul on Monday. 

“I feel at home when I come to Korea. I observe similar histories, achievements and challenges here as in Germany. The key difference is I cannot speak your language,” Kohler said in a speech.

“Networks strengthen our objectives through common interests and feelings. ADEKO is a symbol of our friendship, and cements our relationship.”

ADEKO is an alumni network of Germans and Koreans with academic, commercial and cultural ties. Founded in 2008, it holds knowledge seminars, youth gatherings, and culture events year-round for its active 5,000 members, as an umbrella organization of some 50 alumni groups.

The world, according to Kohler, faces a myriad of crises that requires a unified front in environmental conservation and sustainable development. But the current international system, established after WW2, is inapt at addressing these challenges and enforcing remedies, he pointed out.

Korea and Germany face similar problems, as both have experienced military destruction, national division and diplomatic challenges.

“We have also demonstrated to the world that dedication and innovation can overcome our hardships and achieve prosperity,” Kohler said. “Europe’s lesson is that cooperation is the smarter way toward progress. Peaceful cooperation is the hope of rational people around the world. Rational people make the world work.”

As part of an international advisory group, Kohler said he has proposed a model of global partnership to the United Nations for the post-2015 development agenda.

This year is pivotal for the world to pave the way for sustainable globalization, he stressed, adding that democratic nations should partner for creative solutions.

“In a world where nations are interconnected economically, politically and environmentally, the challenges we face require a new paradigm of cooperation,” he said. “We need to reform the international order based on a new model of participation and partnership across diverse stakeholders.”

This requires a mentality and approach of “treating others as one wishes to be treated,” so that different ethnic groups and governments can converge on their common problems, he added.

Kim Hwang-sik, former Korean prime minister and ADEKO president, highlighted Kohler’s contribution to the German reunification as a foreign policy adviser to former Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

“Mr. Kohler was the finance minister in charge of unifying the German currencies and economies,” Kim said in a speech. “He remarked on his visit to Korea in 2010 that our unification could come sooner than expected, and South Korea should make preparations for it.”

Kim added, “Mr. Hartz, who masterminded the 2002 Hartz labor and welfare reforms, is well-known in Korea, even more than former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder whom he served.”

Hartz explained Germany’s new system of employment and labor market reforms, as the country enters an aging society.

The big data and digital software match people with compatible jobs in the labor market, Hartz said. It will help reduce youth unemployment and provide postretirement work for citizens.

German Ambassador Rolf Mafael, in a speech, pinned hopes on the younger generations to lead the future of bilateral ties, while paying tribute to the Korean miners and nurses who worked in Germany in the 1960s and 70s.

By Joel Lee  (joel@heraldcorp.com)