Sustainable Exchange and Cooperation Process in Exhibition and Convention: Applications for the Korean Peninsula From the Leipzig Trade Fair in Germany

Abstract

This study aims to examine the exchange and cooperation process by applying the role and possibility of exhibitions and conventions to the Korean Peninsula as a means of fostering exchange and cooperation in divided countries. To this end, we examine the case of the Leipzig Trade Fair in Germany, an advanced country in the exhibition and convention industry that has successfully navigated its own division. The study reveals that in the case of East-West Germany, the trade fair continued to be held for different purposes. However, in the end, it served as a space where political and economic contacts took place, functioning as an essential conduit for human and material traffic and communication. Additionally, it played an important role in adjusting and alleviating existing conflict structures. The hosting of exhibitions and conventions, which facilitates interactions among people, becomes a critical starting point for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, serving the purpose of creating economic benefits by promoting trade and transaction. These economic benefits lay the foundation for mutual trust and growth, mitigating conflicts and fostering a process of exchange and cooperation in exhibitions and conventions that ultimately leads to peaceful inter-Korean relations.