The situation of forests in North Korea is critical, since energy and food scarcity since the mid-1990s led to widespread deforestation and use of sloping lands for agricultural purpose, resulting in karst formation. Among other aspects training of forestry personnel for sustainable forestry is an important task which Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea began through seminars, study trips, exchange programmes and the donation of a digital library. The possibilities of national and international cooperation in this project were discussed at a briefing of the representative of Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea, Dr. Bernhard Seliger, at the South Korean national institute Korea Forestry Research Institute. The Assistant Director General of the Department on Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Dong-Kyun Park, welcomed the delegation of Hanns-Seidel-Foundation.