By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo In a dynamic landscape of global partnerships, the KIGAM International Network Forum 2024 on “Critical Minerals in Asia and Africa”, held on March 5, 2024, provided a platform for meaningful discourse and strategic collaborations. Hosted by Dr. Lee Pyeong-Koo, President of the Korea Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), the event brought together government officials, industry leaders, diplomats and other stakeholders from Asian and African countries such as Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Nigeria and Tanzania. Kazakhstan was represented by
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann), in cooperation with Busan Metropolitan City, held the KGCCI Economic Outlook 2024 on March 7 at Park Hyatt Hotel Busan. The event was followed by a special reception of KGCCI and the German Embassy with more 100 business leaders, governmental officials, industry experts and the German community. The event was organized to provide exclusive insights into the developments of Korean-German business relations in these challenging times. Distinguished speakers includin
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Within the framework of the initiatives for the 140th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations, the Embassy of Italy in the Republic of Korea organized, on the occasion of the International Women's Day, the third edition of 'Ambassador for a day', a project that allows a Korean university student to join the Ambassador of Italy in Seoul, Emilia Gatto, during a typical day of her life, to gain high-level direct experience in an international working environment. The student was selected after an examination of the essays that participants from various K
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young To commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Philippines, the Diplomatic Journal and the UN Journal jointly organized a cultural exchange event with the Embassy of the Philippines in Seoul, Korea, from March 6-10. An award ceremony for Korea-the Philippines cultural exchange exhibition held, along with the opening of the exhibition on the second floor of the Maru Art Center in Insa-dong, Seoul on March 6. This was the first cultural exchange exhibition between Korea and the Philippines. The Philippines was the first ASEAN
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “We look forward to a future-oriented partnership…the upgrade of our relations to a strategic partnership will open fresh avenues for growth,” stressed Amb. of the Philippines to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega at a reception on March 5. Delivering toast remarks at a reception for the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Philippines held at Grand Hyatt Seoul, Amb. Dizon-De Vega said, “And grow it shall across many areas of cooperation from Korea’s engagement in the Build Better More infrastructure program of the Philippines through which l
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo met with British Ambassador to Korea Colin James Crooks at the speaker's office in Seoul on March 5 to review the agenda for his official visit to United Kingdom in mid-to-late March. "The United Kingdom was the second-largest troop contributor to the Korean War after the United States," Kim said, noting that Ambassador Crooks, who served as a counselor at the British Embassy in Seoul, organized Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Andong in 1999. "The queen's visit strengthened our bilateral relations." "Last year, in honor of th
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo met with Ambassadors Peter van der Vliet of the Netherlands and Georg Wilfried Schmidt of Germany on March 4 to review the agenda of his official visit to the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. "The Netherlands sent more than 5,000 troops to fight in the Korean War before the establishment of diplomatic relations," Kim said during a meeting with Ambassador van der Vliet at his office in Yeouido. "Our two countries have developed cooperation in a wide range of areas since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1961, and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young "The March 1 Movement will be completed with a unified Korea where everyone enjoys freedom and prosperity," President Yoon Suk-yeol said on March 1, marking the 105th anniversary of the independence movement. "We must now move toward a free and unified Korean peninsula where all people are the owners," Yoon said in a commemorative speech at the 105th anniversary of the March 1 commemoration ceremony at the Yoo Kwan-sun Memorial Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul. Referring to the 1919 Declaration of Independence, Yoon said, "At the root of the Declaration of Independence
By Diplomacy Journal Kim Ji-eun During his visit to the United States, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul had his first bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken since his inauguration at the U.S. Department of State on February 28, local time. In the meeting that came merely six days after the ROK-U.S.-Japan foreign ministers’ meeting on February 22, the two sides had a fruitful and in-depth discussion on the ROK-U.S. Alliance and ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation; nuclear and other issues related to North Korea; information cooperation; and regional and global issues. Th
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Choi Sang-hoon joined Yoo Young-soo's workshop in Haengdang-dong, Seoul, as an apprentice in 1966 at the tender age of 13, and has spent nearly 60 years of his life with najeon lacquerware (laquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl). In 1969, after attending Master Yoo Young-soo's workshop, he moved to the workshop of Seoul Intangible Cultural Property Min Jong-tae and learned various techniques from him. Of course, he learned the general field of the complex najeon lacquer technique from Min Jong-tae, but he also learned najeon and lacquer techniques from Lee S
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo In his address at the WeGO Kick-off Event on February 20, 2024, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Korea, Mr. Nurgali Arystanov, expressed his gratitude to Secretary General Jung Sook Park for hosting the event. He highlighted the importance of city-to-city diplomacy and WeGO's proactive efforts to strengthen city networks for smarter, more inclusive urban environments. Referring to the upcoming WeGO Executive Committee Meeting 2024 and 7th General Assembly as major events to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Mr. Arystanov appreciated Almaty's selection as an Executive V
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young In honor of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Philippines this year, President Yoon Suk-yeol exchanged congratulatory letters with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. on March 3, the day of the diplomatic opening. The Philippines was the first ASEAN country and the fifth country in the world to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea, and contributed 7,420 soldiers to the Korean War, the largest contingent of any Asian country. In his congratulatory letter, President Yoon emphasized that Korea and the P
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul attended the United Nations Security Council briefing marking the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, held at the UN headquarters on February 23 (New York time), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. Foreign Minister Cho reaffirmed the Korean government’s consistent position that the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine should be respected, and stressed that Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine is a clear violation of the UN Charter and international law. Additionally, Foreign Minister C
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan organized on February 26, 2024 a symposium dedicated to the next anniversary of the Khojaly genocide happened 32 years ago during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The event was co-organized by the Korea-Azerbaijan Culture Center as well as Korea’s FarmConnect company. Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Ramin Hasanov held a speech at the symposium. He pointed out that the massacre in Khojaly is clearly classified as genocide and ethnic cleansing according to the UN Convention on the Prevention and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Seoul to the Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev initiated a significant reshuffle of key government positions on February 6, 2024, signing decrees following the dismissal of the Government the previous day. Among the notable changes, Olzhas Bektenov, former head of the Executive Office of the President, was appointed as the new Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. Bektenov's candidacy was proposed by the ruling Amanat party and subsequently approved by the Mazhil