It is an undeniable fact that the fall of the Wall and German reunification belong to the greatest historical events of the 20th century. Germans can rightly be proud of these achievements. The division of the Korean peninsular remains a sad reality, and for us Koreans German reunification is highly fascinating. Our admiration is reflected in the growing number of Korean researchers who are studying “German reunification”. Their conclusion is that although German reunification was the incredible outcome of intensive preparation and detailed strategy, unanticipated problems emerged in the social and economic integration process.
In my opinion, it is still too early to judge the results of German reunification, since I believe the long journey to German unity is not yet over. The unification process is not a completed phase whose final point was marked by the fall of the Wall, but an ongoing national mission. The “greatest lesson” that I have drawn during my time here in Berlin from the fall of the Wall and unity is that one should avoid making premature judgement when assessing the reunification of another country. Eliminating economic differences and integrating members of a society is a time-consuming and difficult task even within one country. I have been strengthened in this opinion since I began living in Berlin.
When I watched television on the day the Wall fell, I saw countless young people revelling in front of the Berlin Wall. I envied them. At the same time, what came into my mind above all else was the differences in the reality of division between Germany and Korea. Germany was spared a fratricidal conflict, while Koreans had to suffer not only division, but also the Korean War. The republic has managed to rise from the ruins of that war to 13th place among the industrialized nations. The greatest obstacle on the Korean peninsular, however, is that the war entrenched positions and the wall between the two Korean states is much higher and more impenetrable that the Berlin Wall ever was.
