Since 1987 the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom cooperates with the Center for Local Autonomy at Hanyang University in Seoul. Together, we are supporting political decentralisation, the empowerment of local governments and the promotion of public participation in local politics of the Republic of Korea.

Meeting in Seoul, Korea: former minister of health, labor and  social affairs in the German federal state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Dr. Klaus Gollert, FNF Regional Director Southeast and East Asia , Dr. Rainer Adam, FNF Resident Representative Korea, Mr. Walter Klitz, former director of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty to Russia, Falk Bomsdorf and FNF board member and former Parliamentary Party Secretary of the Free Democrat Party in Germany , Mr. Manfred Richter, (left to right)

Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations with Mr. Walter Klitz, country director FNF Korea

Our partners in South Korea

The Center for Local Autonomy is a joint research institute of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the Hanyang University. The Center for Local Autonomy, the Graduate School of Local Autonomy and the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation cooperate in the fields of:

- academic research on local autonomy

- educational training aimed at local government productivity and democracy

- international exchange of local government officials, members, scholars and students.

The Institute for Far Eastern Studies of Kyungnam University, established in 1972, is a research-oriented think tank that promotes peace and the unification of Korea through scholarly contributions focusing on the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia.

The Jeju Peace Institute is the working entity of the International Peace Foundation, which was launched in 2006 with three purposes in mind: the firm establishment of peace on the Korean peninsula, cooperative security measures in the Northeast Asian region, and unified economic efforts by the Northeast Asian region. The Jeju Peace Institute is facilitating the Foundation's purposes by con-ducting research on peace, hosting international conferences and offering lecture programs.

The Center for Free Enterprise, established in April 1997, propagates research, education and publications which aim to diffuse classical liberalism and market principles throughout Korea. It intends to show that securing the liberties of citizens and businesses is a better way to prosperity than government intervention.

Our regional cooperation

In pursuit of our objectives to promote individual, political and economic freedom, the Foundation and its partners , initiate lectures and debates between representatives of classical liberal-minded think tanks and politicians in networks such as the “Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats "and the “Economic Freedom Network Asia”.

Our activities in North Korea:

By bringing in the very unique German experience of national unification and European integration, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation promotes dialogue and cooperation between the two Koreas. Since 2002 the Foundation has been actively engaged in fostering inter-Korean relations by supporting economic modernization and development in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Meanwhile the Foundation has built up quite reliable working relations with decision makers in the DPRK.

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation provides both theoretical and practical training seminars for experts on the economy and finance in the DPR Korea. Our programs include study tours abroad and are aimed at transferring knowledge on the functioning of market economy, strategies of economic modernization and monetary systems as well as city management.

Soldiers at the inner Korean border at Panmunjon

By successfully co-organizing a series of EU-DPRK workshops since 2004, we have also been supporting the economic dialogue between the European Union and the DPR Korea.

With our political dialogue we strive for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.

For more information please visit the project's website by clicking here.