Germany marks 70 years of Bundeswehr, highlights deepening security ties with Korea

German Ambassador to Korea Georg Schmidt speaks during a reception for 70th Inauguration Day of the Bundeswehr in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kim Hyun-bin

Germany’s ambassador to Korea and its defense attaché underscored historic ties between Berlin and Seoul and called for strengthened security cooperation as the German Embassy marked the 70th Inauguration Day of the Bundeswehr at a reception in Seoul on Monday.

Germany’s Bundeswehr, the unified armed forces established in 1955, serves as the country’s federal defense institution and a key pillar of NATO.

Speaking to Korean defense officials, members of the German community, scholars, industry representatives and military guests, German defense attaché Col. Holger Oswald said it was significant to commemorate the anniversary “in a place where cooperation and friendship between our nations and our militaries are not only real but lived reality.”

Oswald noted that while technology, missions and structure have changed since the Bundeswehr's founding, its core principles remain constant, with leadership grounded in democratic values, military readiness and excellence, and a commitment to international cooperation.

“From its very beginning, the Bundeswehr was never a purely national force,” he said. “It was born multinational — as part of NATO, as part of Europe and as part of a global community of partners.”

He called Germany-Korea defense cooperation a “story of success,” pointing to nearly four decades of training exchanges and more than a dozen new cooperation projects planned for next year. “We are not tired of refreshing and renewing partnerships in order to be stronger together,” he said.

German Ambassador to Korea Georg Schmidt reflected on his own service as a conscript in 1981, recalling the tensions of the Cold War and the mindset that “preparedness for war was the best guarantee for peace.”

Schmidt drew parallels between the two countries and their historical situations, noting that the 1950 North Korean invasion of the South profoundly shaped West German debates about establishing an army after World War II. “Many in West Germany asked themselves: would East Germany, with Moscow’s backing, do the same to us?” he said.

German defense attaché Col. Holger Oswald speaks during a reception for the 70th Inauguration Day of the Bundeswehr in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kim Hyun-bin

He highlighted former Chancellor Konrad Adenauer’s decision to firmly anchor West Germany in the Western alliance and his symbolic choice to support South Korea during the Korean War by sending a German hospital unit even before Germany had its own army.

The first 101 volunteers for the Bundeswehr were appointed in November 1955, and Schmidt said that from the outset, the force was embedded in NATO and the transatlantic alliance: “It became a strong pillar in defending principles, values and democracy throughout the Cold War — always together with partners, never alone.”

Schmidt highlighted that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked a “Zeitenwende,” or historic turning point, for German security policy. Germany, he noted, feels directly threatened by hybrid attacks and aggressive rhetoric from Moscow. “Our security, our freedom and our democracy cannot be taken for granted,” he said, reaffirming Berlin’s commitment to support Ukraine “as long as it is needed.”

He also drew a direct connection between security developments in Europe and Northeast Asia, citing North Korean weapons transfers to Russia and the presence of North Korean troops operating alongside Russian forces. “Skills and technologies gained there could be used one day against South Korea,” he warned.

Schmidt emphasized that Germany’s decision last year to become a full member of the United Nations Command (UNC) marked a new phase of engagement on the Korean Peninsula. Since July, Germany has stationed a permanent staff officer at UNC headquarters.

“This is not only a political commitment but a practical one to peace and security,” he said, adding that Germany’s participation adds a new dimension to an already strong bilateral relationship. “Our Bundeswehr is a proven pillar of European and transatlantic security — and now contributes, with our means and possibilities, to stability on this peninsula.”