FNF celebrates its 60th anniversary

This year, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom celebrated its 60th Anniversary.

To commemorate the event, FNF Korea hosted a 60th Anniversary reception at the President Hotel in downtown Seoul. The event was attended by over 120 guests, with distinguished attendees including FNF Regional Director of Southeast and East Asia, Mr. Siegfried Herzog, who flew in from Bangkok, Thailand for the anniversary. Two further distinguished event attendees at the reception included Ms. Dr. Kim Sun Uk, FNF scholarship alumni, former Minister of Government Legislation and past president of Ewha Women's University, as well as Mr. Weert Boerner, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Korea. The honorable guests kindly offered celebratory speeches at the reception, where they shared touching memories of their experiences with the foundation and praised the work of FNF.

At the event, Project Director of FNF Korea, Dr. Lars-André Richter, gave a speech on the work of the foundation and bid farewell after six years as Head of Office. Dr. Richter will be going to Latin America where he will become Project Director of the FNF office in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Also at the reception, Dr. Richter's successor, Dr. Christian Taaks gave a speech and was warmly welcomed as new Head of Office. Prior to coming to Korea, Dr. Taaks oversaw the FNF scholar alumni network and worked at the FNF division for European and Transatlantic/North American relations at the headquarters in Potsdam.

The Naumann Foundation's 60th Anniversary was also celebrated on a large scale in Germany in May, where Chancellor Angela Merkel joined the festivities alongside notable politicians like Christian Lindner and Norbert Lammert.