Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk, Proposes 'Park Chung-hee Garden' in Duisburg, Germany... Site of Tearful Speech by Korean Miners Dispatched 60 Years Ago

Interview with 100 Paedok Miners and Nurses
New Leap Forward with Park Chung-hee Spirit

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, visited the cities of Essen and Duisburg in Germany on October 31 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of President Park Chung-hee's visit to Germany.

As the first schedule of the day, he visited the place where President Park Chung-hee visited Germany in December 1964, secured a loan through a summit meeting with Chancellor Erhard, and gave a tearful speech in front of the Korean miners and nurses gathered at the Hamborn Coal Mining Company in Duisburg.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, visiting Germany (right), is shaking hands with the Mayor of Duisburg.

On December 10, 1964, President Park said, “To all miners and nurses... (omitted) ...Even if we cannot achieve it in our lifetime, let us at least lay the foundation for prosperity equal to others for our descendants. I am very ashamed and my heart aches right now... (omitted) ...Please give me time. I will make sure that our descendants will never be sold to foreign countries like this. Absolutely...”

This place is currently used as a gymnasium by a sports team in Duisburg, and no traces of the original site remain.

Governor Lee then visited the Korean Cultural Center (Korean Miners Memorial Hall) in Essen.

He arranged a luncheon for about 100 Korean miners and nurses who had worked in Germany, presented plaques of appreciation expressing gratitude for their dedication and sacrifice, and watched a thank-you video together.

He also presented a commemorative plaque marking the 60th anniversary of President Park’s visit to Germany, produced by POSCO.

After the luncheon, guided by Na Bok-chan, a member of the Korean-German community history archive, they toured various commemorative sculptures erected at the center, photo and video materials documenting the history of miners and nurses, a bust of Dr. Lee Myung-ruk, a list of Korean workers in Germany, and an outdoor mining museum.

After concluding the schedule at the Korean Cultural Center, the delegation visited Duisburg City Hall and held a meeting with the mayor. At this meeting, they presented the 60th anniversary commemorative plaque made by POSCO and requested it be installed at the speech site.

They also proposed creating a “(tentatively named) Park Chung-hee Garden” around the site of President Park’s speech and suggested holding joint forums for the development of both regions.

Through consultations with Duisburg city officials, it was agreed that if the mayor is officially proposed the commemorative plaque installation and garden creation, the city would proceed with the necessary council approval and administrative procedures, thus advancing the project.

This established an administrative foundation for the official installation of a symbolic commemorative plaque marking the 60th anniversary of the visit to Germany.

At this meeting, the mayor of Duisburg stated that he would work with the Consul General of the Republic of Korea to ensure the installation of the 60th anniversary commemorative plaque and the creation of the (tentatively named) Park Chung-hee Garden.

Governor Lee Cheol-woo said he would invite the mayor of Duisburg to next year’s APEC summit and expressed hope to meet in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk Province, next year.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province (second from the left), visited the site where President Park Chung-hee gave a speech to the dispatched miners and nurses 60 years ago.

That evening, together with the Korean Embassy in Germany’s Bonn branch (headed by Consul General Heo Seung-jae), they held a commemorative event for the 60th anniversary of President Park Chung-hee’s visit to Germany and a national day reception.

About 300 guests attended, including key political and diplomatic figures from Germany, mayors (and deputy mayors), and representatives of the Korean community in Germany.

Gyeongbuk Province screened a video of about five minutes commemorating the 60th anniversary of President Park Chung-hee’s visit. The video conveyed the message that thanks to the dedication and hard work of Korean miners and nurses in Germany, the German government’s provision of loans and technology transfer, and President Park’s leadership, South Korea was able to rise to become one of the world’s top 10 economic powers.

Commemorative plaque for the 60th anniversary of President Park Chung-hee's visit to Germany, produced by POSCO

In his commemorative speech, Governor Lee Cheol-woo said, “The support of the German government, the blood and sweat of the Korean workers in Germany, and President Park Chung-hee’s leadership created the Korea we have today,” and emphasized, “Now that we have become one of the world’s top 10 economic powers, we must never rest on past successes. We must inherit President Park’s spirit and strive for a new leap forward.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.