SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 12, 2024--
The Ministry of Unification held the 2024 Unification Cultural Event for Overseas Koreans under the theme "Reise zur Freiheit! (Journey for Liberty)" on Saturday, November 9, at Nikolaikirche Square in Leipzig, a historic site of German reunification.
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This event was held in conjunction with the "12th Concert for the Unification of Korea," hosted by the Leipzig Korean Association at Nikolaikirche. Despite the cold weather, it drew the interest of overseas Korean and local citizens who gathered in the church square.
The event opened with a busking performance by "2345," winners of the Ministry’s annual music festival, and included a live painting by North Korean defector artist An Soo-min, alongside a variety of events promoting North Korean human rights and unification.
The "2345" team captivated visitors at Nikolaikirche Square with performances spanning K-pop, classical guitar, jazz, and operatic pop.
Artist An Soo-min held a live painting show themed "Painting the Light of Liberty." In an audience interaction, she shared, "In South Korea, we have freedom of expression, art, and the freedom to travel anywhere, but this is not the case in North Korea." An emphasized, "The journey for liberty will only be complete with the unification of South and North Korea," adding that she felt "a sense of unity by creating artwork together with participants.“
The event also featured side activities that drew interest and engagement from visitors, including HE.ART’s art exhibit wishing for Korean unification, a North Korean human rights simulation game experienced via VR and QR codes, and a barbed-wire bracelet activity where participants cut through barbed wire to receive a "liberty bracelet.“
HE.ART is a nonprofit promoting unification and global development through arts education with North Korean defector youth and children in developing countries.
Visitors highlighted An Soo-min’s live painting and the barbed-wire bracelet activity as memorable, commenting that these experiences provided deep insights into North Korea.
Asem Espanta, a resident of Leipzig, shared that after watching the live painting, the blending of various colors into a single artwork gave him hope that South and North Korea would one day be unified.
Sara Choi, an overseas Korean from Chemnitz, remarked that the barbed wire display powerfully conveyed the longing for unification, and she found the "Bracelet of Liberty," symbolizing North Korean liberty, especially meaningful.
This year, the Ministry of Unification held the Unification Cultural Event for Overseas Koreans in the United States and Germany under the theme “Journey for Liberty,” symbolizing solidarity with North Koreans on their journey toward freedom.
The Ministry plans to continue hosting accessible and engaging cultural events to help overseas Koreans easily understand and engage with the issues of Korean unification and the realities in North Korea.
North Korean defector Artist An Soo-min performing a live painting show themed “Painting the Light of Liberty” (photo: Ministry of Unification)
Participants engaging in the barbed-wire bracelet activity (photo: Ministry of Unification)
