Tourists gather to see the individually painted dominos along the former route of the wall in front of illuminated landmark Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, on Nov. 8, 2009, as part of the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 2009. Some 1,000 giant dominos, many of them decorated by schoolchildren, were toppled during the official ceremony. / AFP-Yonhap

By Hans-Ulrich Seidt

Today we Germans remember with joy and gratitude our national unity, which we regained on Oct. 3 1990. On that day, our nation’s decades of division came to an end. This year we remember another historic event: the construction of the Berlin Wall 50 years ago, a day which literally cemented the division of Germany for 28 years.

The Berlin Wall was a symbol not only of the division of Germany, but also of the division of Europe. In the end, however, freedom was invincible. The Wall did not fall: it was knocked down. Germany and Europe overcame their division. This success imposes on us the obligation to resolutely tackle the political, social, economic and environmental challenges.

We are well acquainted with the power of freedom thanks to our own history. Freedom, democracy and protection of human rights are key elements of our foreign policy. Twenty-two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and 21 years after German Unity, it remains our task to make the world a more peaceful and pleasant place in which to live.

Germany and Korea have maintained friendly relations for more than 125 years. Germany is following the political developments on the Korean peninsula with deep sympathy and fully supports the efforts of the Korean government to bring peace and prosperity to all Koreans. Together with our Korean friends we hope that also the Korean people will find its way towards unity and freedom.

Hans-Ulrich Seidt is ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Korea.