SECURITY RELATIONS Clause Samples

SECURITY RELATIONS. Germany’s security relations with South Korea beyond the EU-level Crisis Management Participation Agreement and through NATO is informed by the two countries’ shared values and goals, which entails Germany’s support of South Korea as a lively East Asian democracy and its efforts towards a peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Noteworthy are the two countries’ commitment to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and Germany’s support of sanctions against North Korea, which Berlin also displayed during its presidency of the UNSC in 2019 (Auswärtiges Amt 2019). Another area of cooperation is Germany’s experience of national division, which it shares with South Korea, and German reunification, which is an important historical reference for South Koreans with both symbolic and practical value. It is not only an example that peaceful unification after decades of systemic political and economic division is possible. Germany also actively supports South Korean policy makers and academics through sharing of government documents and expertise pertaining to the reunification process (Deutscher Bundestag 2013). Berlin sees itself as Seoul’s partner in its struggle for a peaceful solution of the inter- Korean conflict and does not shy away from criticizing Pyongyang for violating UN sanctions. For instance, in 2017, at the height of North Korea’s nuclear and ICBM tests, Chancellor ▇▇▇▇▇▇ called for stronger sanctions and signalled that Germany was ready to play a more active role to find a diplomatic solution on the Korean Peninsula (▇▇▇▇▇▇ 2017). Recently, both countries have increased cooperation on security matters step-by-step through dialogues. In May 2018, the German Federal Academy for Security, the ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Foundation, and the Korean Research Institute for Security Affairs organized a dialogue on European-Asian nuclear security, which was attended by government representatives and the academic community (▇▇▇▇ 2018). In July 2018, South Korea and Germany conducted a top-level strategic dialogue, in which Foreign Minister of Germany, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, pledged to support South Korea’s reconciliation policy and offered Germany’s expertise in negotiating a nuclear-disarmament agreement (Welt 2018). Another area of cooperation is arms trade. Since South Korea’s democratization it is a consistent customer of German defence technology and ranks among the top-five destinations of German arms exports. Recent arms purchases include cruise missiles (Taurus KEPD-35...