The transfer project T03 “Knowledge Transfer as Intercultural Translation: Development of Exemplary Practices of Transformation-preparing Activities in Korea” emerged from the Collaborative Research Center 580’s “Social Development in Post-socialistic Societies” in January 2013

Objectives *

It is our aim to transfer the results of the German-German reunification to South Korea. Although Germany in 1989/90 differs very much from Korea in 2013, the vision for the future of a national union with the north is present in South Korea at all times. Politics, society and science have been preparing for this for a long time, with the German reunification attracting particular attention.

On a basis of practical information, scenarios which prepare and supportively accompany the targeted reunification of Korea, are supposed to be developed in cooperation with South Korean politics, administration, economy and science.
Currently, a policy of small steps towards the reconciliation of North and South Korea seems to be the most realistic way. Therefore we are focusing our transfer of knowledge on seven specific German-German areas of experience: the labor market, decentralization, the change of the elite, the biographical experiences of generations, the management of small and medium-sized companies, psychosocial coping with system changes and entrepreneurship.
Together with our South Korean cooperation partners we intend to acquire practical compendia (’manuals’) inside these fields that help to prepare small steps to system change.

Institutions *

Sponsors

German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft). Kennedyallee 40 53175 Bonn
Ministry of Unification, Korea (Ministerium für Wiedervereinigung der Republik Korea) Government Complex – Seoul, 209 Sejong-daero(Sejong-ro). Jongno-gu, Republic of Korea

Research institutions

Center for Social Research Halle (ZSH) at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) Großer Berlin 14 06108 Halle/Saale
Institute of Korean Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin Fabeckstraße 7 14195 Berlin
Collaborative Research Center 580: “Social Developments in Post-socialistic Societies: Discontinuity, Tradition, Structural Formation” 07740 Jena Bachstraße 18 K