Hello, Dear Readers. My name is Thomas and I am German, living in the southwest in the Province Baden-Wuerttemberg, which is famous for beautiful landscape, very good wine and - for the most sunny days and the warmest region in Germany. Maybe you know city Heidelberg? Then you also know my province. Freiburg is called the capital of Black forest mountain, which goes up to 1400m, and we have a gothic cathedral with a 111m tall tower which is called the most beautiful tower of Christian churches worldwide. 200 000 friendly people (like me :-) you will find when you visit my city - which is also a capital of the green environmental movement in Germany. Well, and now maybe you are wondering why I am so much interested in Korea? If you want to know - I can tell you the story about this.

In 1997, I was listening to some foreign radio stations with my brand-new world receiver. As I was interested since many years for Asia in general, I began to listen to the German services broadcasting from East Asia. Radio Korea International, the foreign service of the republic of Korea which is a division of KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) broadcast daily one hour program in German language for Europe via shortwave - that sounds very interesting for me. Program was a good mix of culture, history, politics and economy. Also the speakers are friendly and they answered well the many questions from the far away residing listeners. You must know, that time I did not know much about Korea - only some Catchwords as divided country, Olympic games, Samsung, etc. I had in my mind. I did nothing know about that wonderful Kimchi or Bulgogi and nothing about the many friendly people that times! Not knowing much about the national parks, the seaside, the land in general. I did not realize what I have missed until then!

Well, I can tell many good stories, but 2 smaller ones things I can tell spontaneous: I was in Seoul sitting on a stair with a German friend. He and I were alone on the trip. We were looking for a way to find a special place, but do not know the way how to go there. A young woman passing by asking us if to help. But also she cannot help us. 5 minutes later she come back and tell us she had phoned someone to ask our way and now she know - and she offers us to drive us there with her car! That was so friendly and very good and I never can forget - and I want to say again to that unknown woman Gomapseumnida. (Thank you) 2nd story was somewhere during trip in Korea - I was in a market hall and I bought some snacks. I gave the money to the seller, the price was 1,000 (1,000 won). I did not recognize that I gave him accidentally 10,000 (10,000 won) instead of 1,000 (1,000 won) - so I was going quickly because I was in a hurry, and it was very crowded in that hall. About 3 minutes later someone was pulling at my sleeve - I turned and saw an older woman smiling at me, giving me 9,000 (9,000 won) change - the seller gave the money to some woman and ask her to give it to me!

I want to give my hearty and friendly greeting to all the people of Korea, to all my friends there and all the people I had positive experience during my visits. I hope Koreans will go on their special way between tradition and modern life and I hope they will keep their own cultural roots even there is some trend worldwide to make a same multi-culture mixing everywhere. But I think it is so interesting to discover the differences in way of living and also way of thinking - and to see different living as an advantage! And as a basic for friendship and better knowing. No need to travel if everywhere is same way of live! Its so interesting to go to different places. And finally I hope that Korea Nation will overcome the division into 2 parts because an indivisible nation cannot be divided ever.

Thomas Schneider from Germany (Chemical Engineer)