Looking beyond 50 cm
Re-imagining Korean peninsula in Berlin
July 08th, 2019
A coming cultural event at this weekend in Berlin for those who are interested in a history of the division of Korean peninsula.
After the reunification of Germany in 1990, only one country has remained split in the world which is Korea ever since 1953 when the Korean War ended. Likewise the German case, Korean peninsula also became an unexpected casualty of the geopolitical tension between allies with antithetical political ideologies during the Cold-war. Since their shared history and experiences, one of which is still ongoing, Korea has paid close attention to German reunification questioning the applicability and replicability of the case.
In the same vein, this coming weekend, ‘Looking Beyond 50cm - Reimagining Korea’ co-hosted by SARAM - Stiftung für Menschenrechte in Nordkorea, Stepping Stones, The Bunker 1937, Re-imagine 50cm apart will be taken place in Berlin. ‘50cm’ here refers to the concrete threshold border in a place called ‘Panmunjom’ (A small village located in the middle of demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas) where soldiers from the two belligerent sides stand in acute military confrontation watching each other. However, this seemingly tiny gap is not merely a physical distance but rather an emotional and ideological gap that has severely deepened for the last 66 years which cannot be easily narrowed.
The event, therefore, is throwing a question on this ‘50cm’ how we can narrow this both physical and ideological gap thereby reimagining the reunified Korea, especially to those who have lived in Germany while witnessing the history and further transformation after the reunification. Surely, everyone from all over the world who would like to share their ideas and thoughts hoping a peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula will be welcomed. The event is composed of several cultural programs including the North Korean food festival, a talking session with North Korean defectors, and some performances of international artists.
The events will take place at the Artist-Homes, Hohenzollerndamm 120, 14199, Berlin on July 6 at 3 pm and, and Memorial Museum, Bernauer Straße 11 on July 7 at 3 pm.
