Business and Career > Korea Special Germany and Korea: Partners in R&D
United by a strong common interest in green technologies Germany and South Korea have formed partnerships to make the best use of their expertise and to promote and invest in the further development of the technologies of tomorrow. Together, the two nations stand to make a great deal more progress than if they were simply acting in isolation.
 Aboutpixel. Photo: Rainer Sturm Thanks to efforts by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in 2007, Germany and South Korea have partnered up under the initiative “Research in Germany – Land of Ideas.”
The project seeks to promote cooperation between German and Korean research facilities and businesses in order to ensure a free flow of knowledge and information as well as an exchange of experts between the two countries.
Germany’s paves a green path
Germany has traditionally been a strong advocate for green technologies with the government supporting many schemes with subsidies. So it comes as no surprise to hear that, according to a recent report from the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Germany reached its goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 21.3 percent in 2007.
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If the trend continues, then Germany can be optimistic about exceeding objectives set by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Under the agreement, Germany pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions between 2008 and 2012 by 21 percent, or approximately 108 million tons, compared to 1990 levels. German know-how takes to the Far East
While a move in the right direction, the Kyoto Protocol is just a small step to a greener future. Along the way, it’s the relationships that Germany builds with other nations that will carry it the farthest. It’s really just a simple matter of economic principles: Having a comparative advantage means you can produce something at a lower cost than anyone else. So, while Germany has considerable know-how in the field of renewable energy, South Korea has the funds and a national government eager to use them (the far eastern nation annually invests three percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in research and development). He’s got a green thumb
On top of South Korea’s propensity for R&D, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon happens to have a very strong interest in energy efficient buildings, cities and applications of solar energy. “The mayor of Seoul wants to show his inhabitants that solar energy is a possible option for the future,” said Professor Dr. Volker Wittwer, deputy director of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s Freiburg-based Institute for Solar Energy Systems. “They are looking for new technologies which can be transferred to Korea. Though why we are in Seoul is because the interest on the Korean side is very high – and they’re financing things,” he remarked. Whereas in other countries you can have plenty of discussion but not much money flowing around, the Koreans are willing to pay for their status as a leading technological center in the world and are keen to educate their citizens on the benefits of green technologies.
Renewable energy to zero energy
The 48 year-old mayor has taken a liking to Freiburg - the home of Fraunhofer ISE and the city widely regarded as Germany’s renewable energy capital.
Surely inspired by his four visits to the Black Forest city, Oh Se-hoon has contracted Fraunhofer ISE, in close collaboration with South Korean engineers, to construct a 3 000 square meter “zero energy house,” a building that requires no external sources of energy. Heating and electrical functions are provided by solar cells and thermal heat pumps in the ground, thereby reducing the house’s carbon footprint to zero. “The house will demonstrate quite plainly to Seoul’s citizens the potential for the application of renewable energies,” Wittwer explained. “In the works are seminar rooms, research laboratories and living spaces that not only show the available technological opportunities for producing energy, but also the ones for saving it.” So close, yet so far
 Jungeun Kim, a 25 year-old Korean student who completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the Kyung Hee University in Seoul and is now studying at the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences, said an increasing interest in green technologies was unmistakable in Seoul. “Many companies have an interest in solar energy and are actively searching for and developing the respective technologies.” “Atomic energy is as far as I know also being pursued. And new skyscrapers or normal houses are always being built more environmentally friendly,” she said. But Kim also mentioned the biggest challenge for the Korean government was educating its own citizens on environmental issues. “In Korea, the issue of renewable energy has received a lot of attention. But among the normal citizens it isn’t given much thought,” she said. “The biggest problem there is that the people are oblivious to the environment.” “It’s tough to say if the partnership between Korea and Germany will have a noticeable impact. I think Koreans’ awareness toward environmental technology should be improved first.” Germans like it green
Germany has long been a leader in renewable energy research, with the federal government taking part in international efforts to raise awareness and many German institutions pioneering new solutions to today’s ecological problems. And according to  , a 36 year-old Korean student studying special education and theology at the Julius-Maximilians-University in Würzburg, one is quick to notice the Germans’ affinity for the environment. “It plays a significant role in the consciousness of the Germans, but in this very respect Koreans are no different,” Seung-Ryong Kim said. “There are many [Koreans] in research-related fields, in politics, but also in societal sectors that have recognized the sense and purpose of these developments and would like to encourage them.” Seung-Ryong Kim maintained that although awareness of environmental issues among Korean citizens is still somewhat limited, it is being encouraged more and more in Korean schools. Lending a hand for a better future
South Korea and Germany have taken different paths to renewable energy development, the former capitalizing on wind power and relying on technology imports from other countries that are more advanced in this particular field. But for continued development in both countries, Seung-Ryong Kim feels cooperation between German and Korean parties is the best way forward. Luckily, that happens to be the goal of the BMBF’s bilateral initiative – to take advantage of both countries’ strengths to find the most effective way forward.
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