“Germany is a nation with which our people feel an extremely special bond, as both countries have known how painful being a divided nation can be. Hopefully, the two nations will continue to work together toward a unified peninsula,” said President Park Geun-hye. 

President Park's remarks came during talks that she held on April 25 with Stanislaw Tillich, head of the German Bundesrat, or Federal Council, and minister president of the German state of Saxony. During the talks, she said, “We acknowledge that the German government responds to any North Korean nuclear weapons or human rights issues with firm determination.” 

In response, the German representative said, “Although it faces constant provocations from North Korea, we hope that South Korea will not lose its hope for a unified Korea and pull through successfully.” He went on to say that, “The German government fully supports the South Korean government’s policies toward the North and we will work together to put an end to the North’s provocations, such as nuclear weapon tests,” he added. 



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President Park Geun-hye (right) shakes hands with Stanislaw Tillich, head of the German Bundesrat and minister president of the German state of Saxony, on April 25 in Seoul.



During the talks, both sides shared their opinions on how to expand Seoul-Berlin relations, Korea-Saxony cooperation, and how to deal with inter-Korea issues. 

President Park expressed her gratitude for Tillich’s support that made it possible to open the Korean Plaza, a new city park in Dresden, after her visit to the city in March 2014. 

She also thanked him for his support for putting up signs at nearby tram stops named after the plaza. She also told him about plans to establish a Dresden Plaza next year at the K-Culture Valley, a venue that will house a concert hall and a theme park. President Park called the two plazas “symbols of future-oriented friendship and cooperation between Korea and Germany.” 

Finally, President Park called on Tillich to show more support for efforts to expand industrial-academic cooperation, and a future-oriented partnership across the creative industries, efforts agreed upon during her 2014 visit to Germany and also during German President Joachim Gauck’s state visit to Seoul in October 2015.