Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea Merz draws on Germany's own reunification experience, saying division causes suffering Here are the leading headlines from and about Germany on Friday, October 30: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday visited the Panmunjom truce village at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, briefly standing on the North Korean side inside the barracks. North and South Korea have been divided since the end of hostilities in the Korean War in 1953, with a border running across the peninsula. In remarks to reporters, Merz recalled Germany's reunification 36 years ago.
"Let us hope that Korea too gets the chance one day to regain state unity," he said. "You can also notice it here at this place, how much a country suffers from division and how strong the desire is for reunification, at least in this part of the Korean Peninsula," he said, adding that he had been asked about Germany's reunification experience while visiting Seoul. North Korea, however, has backed away in recent years from diplomacy with the South, having officially removed language calling for reunification from its constitution while changing the South's status to that of a "hostile state." A glass cabinet containing memorabilia linked to the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, in which eight Manchester United footballers lost their lives, was smashed and plundered in the Munich suburb of Trudering this week.
The display case on Manchesterplatz forms part of a memorial commemorating the tragedy which occurred when the United team made a refueling stop in Munich while on the way back from a European Cup game in Belgrade, Serbia, on February 6, 1958. The plane struggled to take off again in the wintery conditions at the old Munich-Riem airport to the east of the city center and, on the third attempt, ploughed off the end of the runway and into a house. Of the 44 people on board, 23 were killed, including eight United players, several journalists and two crew members.
The crash site has become a place of pilgrimage for United supporters and, in 2020, the cabinet was installed on the initiative of the Red Docs Munich – a local Bayern Munich fan club – to house the various memorabilia and tributes left by visitors. Munich police said the cabinet was broken into on Monday morning between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time (07:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. UTC), with the unknown perpetrators making off with a glass sculpture and several medals.
"They don't understand the damage that they've caused," Ifty Ahmed, chairman of the Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation (MMMF), told the BBC, adding: "Whatever they've taken from inside the showcase, they haven't taken our memories." The Red Docs Munich arranged for replacement glass to be installed on the same say. The MMMF said Manchester United had offered to pay for the repairs but said the foundation had covered the costs itself. The joint commemoration of the 1958 disaster and the maintenance of the memorial site has produced extensive and friendly relations between Bayern Munich and Manchester United, who will meet in the Champions League in January.
German politicians have been slow to respond as they wait to see who is likely to comprise the next coalition. Many are also hoping for a government without religious hardliners. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Profits of German luxury car brand Audi for the third quarter came plunged 87% year-on-year to €95 million ($106 million), the Volkswagen subsidiary reported on Friday.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
