North Koreans' Journey for Liberty Continues :
2024 Unification Cultural Event for Overseas Koreans held in Germany
Overseas Korean Unification Event held successfully in Leipzig,
Germany on November 9
North Korean defector's live painting and
barbed wire bracelets highlighting reality attracts attention
November 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.
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 expressiσn, fashion, 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.
