By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The 30th anniversary exhibition of the Arok Traditional Folk Painting Preservation Society (CEO Jeong Kui-ja), titled "Bringing style and dreams to old paintings," which gathers the precious history and brilliant vision of folk paintings, will be held at Insa Art Plaza Gallery 2, 3, and 4F in Insa-dong, Seoul from March 13 to 19, 2024. The exhibition is sponsored by the Seoul Intangible Cultural Property Education Center, Gahoe Folk Painting Museum, Diplomatic Journal, UN Journal, K-Culture to showcase the tradition and beauty of folk paintings that have been pas
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Turkish Airlines, which operates a fleet of more than 450 aircraft, launched its inaugural flight to Melbourne, Australia, on March 2. Turkish Airlines will fly to Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, three times a week with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (winter) and A350-900 aircraft (summer). The Istanbul-Melbourne route will carry thousands of customers and contribute to the expansion of tourism and trade between the two countries. Turkish Airlines is the only European airline to fly to Melbourne Airport, with plans to serve Sydney by the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo | The following article was contributed by Kamila Sabirova, leading research fellow at Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication via the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. -- Ed. In recent years, addressing the challenges posed by climate change and finding ways to adapt and mitigate its negative impacts have become crucial priorities for global sustainable development, including our country. Uzbekistan, being one of the lands most vulnerable to climate change, has consi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Dildora Karimova, Doctor of Economics, Project Manager, Institute for Macroeconomic and Regional Studies under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication via the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. The principles of a «social state», as defined in the renewed Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, adopted in 2023, require the unconditional provision of citizens' interests and rights to social protection, a fundamental improvement in the quality of social service
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo President Yoon Suk-yeol received John Podesta, Senior Advisor for International Climate Policy to the President of the United States, at the presidential office on March 12, and exchanged views on bilateral climate cooperation, global climate crisis response, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The President welcomed Mr. Podesta to Korea on his first overseas trip since being appointed to his current position. Recalling that he and President Biden agreed to expand cooperation on green technologies, including carbon reduction, during his state visit to the Un
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol held his third "luncheon meeting with religious leaders" since taking office on March 12. Ten religious leaders from Christianity, Buddhism, Catholicism, Won Buddhism, Confucianism, Cheondogyo, and the Korean National Council of Religious Affairs were invited to the luncheon, which was held at Sangchunjae, the Blue House. The luncheon was attended by Rev. Jang Jong-hyun, president of the National Council of Churches of Korea; Kim Jang-hwan, senior pastor of Suwon Central Baptist Church; Jin Woo, head of the Jogye religion; Deok-soo, he
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol received Sarah Sanders, the governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas, in the Presidential Office, on March 11 and exchanged views on strengthening the U.S.-ROK alliance, promoting cooperation between the two countries, and supporting the Korean community. The President said that Arkansas, known as the hometown of General MacArthur, who led the miraculous 'Incheon Landing' in the Korean War, has a special connection to Korea, and hoped that just as the U.S.-ROK alliance, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, is evolving into a
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol held the 19th "Folk Life Discussion with the People" at the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office on March 11 under the theme of "Happiness for the People, Power for Gangwon!" and discussed development issues such as high-tech industries and tourism that will open up the future of Gangwon. In his remarks, the president said that through the public forum, which began this year, he realized that it is the right direction to discover policy issues from the perspective of policy consumers and break down the barriers between minist
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Almaty, Kazakhstan welcomed the inauguration of its first CU store, a collaboration between Shin-Line Group and South Korea's BGF Retail on March 6, 2024. This historic occasion heralds the entry of South Korea's retailer into the Kazakhs market, promising to the Almaty’s retail landscape. The CU store chain is poised to enhance the shopping experience for Almaty's populace. These stores boast appealing exteriors, unique interiors, swift service, and competitive pricing. Andrey Shin, President of the Shin-Line Group, highlighted the transformative impact of the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “Today, Korea is 6th largest investor and 4th largest trade partner for Kazakhstan. In 2023, the number of Korean tourists traveling to Kazakhstan more than doubled,” said Nurgali A. Arystanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Korea. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal, Amb. Arystanov said, “We are now working on creating more conducive conditions for people-to-people ties between Kazakhstan and Korea. We discussed the ways to increase the frequency of flights between Kazakhstan and Korea, and adding new destinations
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The UN Secretary-General on March 9 highlighted the urgent need for a negotiated political solution in Syria, emphasizing the protection of civilians and the dire humanitarian situation. March marks the thirteenth anniversary of the conflict in Syria, with systematic atrocities and untold suffering of civilians. According to UN estimates, 16.7 million people, equivalent to 70 per cent of the total population, will require humanitarian assistance in 2024. Roughly half the pre-war population remains displaced inside or outside Syria. Compounding the crisis, a ser
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Natalia Kanem on March 6 during the latter’s visit to Korea, where they discussed Korea-UNFPA cooperation. Foreign Minister Cho appreciated the enhanced partnership between Korea and the UNFPA, including through the first Korea-UNFPA Policy Consultation held last month. He went on to express his expectation that Korea, as a member of the UN Security Council for the 2024-2025 term, will strengthen cooperation with the UNFPA in areas such as the Humanitarian-D
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Women In koRea (WIR: ‘We’ in German) leadership group of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a successful kick-off event on March 8, marking its sixth edition of annual mentoring program. Hosted jointly by the Embassy of Germany in Seoul at the residence of German Ambassador Georg Schmidt, the event drew over 100 participants, especially female executive mentors and mentees from diverse sectors and organizations. Among the attendees were representatives from Bayer Korea, BNP Paribas Seoul Branch, Deutsche Bank Seoul Branch, Henkel Korea,
By Diplomacy Journal Kim Ji-eun Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held a telephone conversation with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique A. Manalo to exchange views on key bilateral issues on March 8. Minister Cho expressed his deepest sympathy for the deaths of two Filipino sailors in a missile attack by Houthi rebels on March 6, and expressed his appreciation for the exchange of letters of congratulations between the two leaders and ministers on March 3, the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. In response, Minister Manalo expressed his warmest sympathies to Minister Ch
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol received Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is visiting Korea, and exchanged views on cooperation between Korea and the state of Michigan, as well as support for Korean businesses and the Korean American community on March 7. President Yoon emphasized that cooperation between the two countries is strengthening in all areas, including countering proliferation, economic security, advanced technology, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, following his state visit to the United States last year, which marked the 70th anniversa