By Kayla Lee A blessing ceremony was held in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to unveil a statue of the first Korean priest, Father Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon (1821-1846) on April 16 at 4:30 p.m. local time. The day marks the 177th anniversary of Father Kim's martyrdom. Installed on the exterior wall near the exit of the catacombs of St. Peter's Cathedral, the statue of Father Kim Tae-gon is a full-length statue measuring 3.7 meters in height and 1.83 meters in width, depicting Father Kim with his arms outstretched, dressed in a hanbok, including a lampshade and dopo. The statue was created b
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was provided by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul to Diplomacy Journal. —Ed. On September 19, 2023, Uzbekistan joined the UN as a new sovereign, independent state on March 2, 1992. Since joining this universal international organization, our country has been productively cooperating with it and its specialized institutions in various areas. The main priorities of multilateral cooperation are the fight against modern threats and security challenges, the stabilization and restoration of Afghanistan, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, solvi
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is visiting New York to attend the 78th high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly, held his first summit with Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre of Saint Lucia since taking office on Sept. 18. During the meeting, President Yoon requested Saint Lucia's support for the 2030 Busan World Expo and exchanged views on the development of bilateral relations. President Yoon noted that the two countries, which share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights, are longtime friends who have worked closely together in various fields, in
By Kim Ji-eun Foreign Minister Park attended an international forum hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in the DPRK on Sept. 15. He emphasized that even after the COI report was released, human rights abuses in North Korea, such as public executions and forced abortions, are still ongoing, and that "peace without human rights (in North Korea) is a hypocritical spurious peace," calling for attention to the nexus between the North Korea’s nuclear issue and the human rights issue.
By Kayla Lee LG Chem and Italian energy group Eni Sustainable Mobility jointly announced on Sept. 14 that they are exploring the possibility to develop and operate a new biorefinery at LG Chem’s Daesan chemical complex, 80 kilometers southwest of Seoul, South Korea. Together, the companies are examining the technical and economic feasibilities for the proposed project. Final decision for the investment is scheduled by 2024 and the plant will be completed by 2026 at the existing integrated petrochemical complex in Daesan, Korea. The new biorefinery will leverage LG Chem’s integrated value chain
By Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) hosted “140 Guide Walkers” joint CSR event on September 16, 2023, at Ttukseom Hangang Park (Riverside stage) in Seoul, South Korea. In celebration of the 140th anniversary of Korean and German diplomatic relations, nearly 300 colleagues and partners from KGCCI and its member companies served as guide walkers for individuals with visual impairments at the 9th Harmony Marathon with Visually Impaired, organized by Seoul Disabled Sports Association. The “KGCCI Joint CSR 140 Guide Walkers” event has been a collaborative effor
By Lee Kap-soo POSCO Thainox, under the stewardship of President Shin Hyung-gu, was bestowed with the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Award at the ‘2023 Environmental Impact Assessment Monitoring Awards,’ an event held at Bangkok’s Asawin Grand Convention Hotel. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment has hosted this ceremony since 1995, on a 2-3 years cycle. It accredits environmentally conscious companies by recognizing excellence in environmental management across various key industries, including manufacturing, energy, and petrochemicals. The evaluation encapsulat
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over the 73rd anniversary of the D-Day landing operation on Sept. 15 aboard the Navy's landing ship Nojeongbong, sailing through the channels of Incheon Harbor. This is the first time that a sitting president has presided over the event, and the first time that both the ceremony and the landing demonstration were held on a moving ship. During the ceremony, the President paid tribute to the veterans of the Korean War who sacrificed their lives to protect the freedom of the Republic of Korea in the past, and thanked the members of the ROK Armed F
By Lee Kap-soo Following his official visit to the Czech Republic on Sept. 11-13, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited Poland on Sept. 13 and 14, where he held a bilateral meeting with the Polish Prime Minister. He attended the opening events of the Krynica Forum and the Korea-Poland Forum with Polish President Andrzej Duda, and met with President Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, who are also attending the forum. On September 13, Prime Minister Han held a bilateral meeting and press briefing with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Prime Minister Han praised the record high
By Kayla Lee The artist's works are both figurative and non-figurative. It is both landscape and non-landscape. In Oriental paintings, the “Bugam” method, such as looking down from a high place at an angle, often appears, which is a distinctly different way of composing than the Western perspective based on the 'perspective drawing method that assumes the point of view and the point of vanishing at the same time'. As it reveals the degree of perspective based on psychological perception rather than scientific perspective, the artist's landscapes produce curved, crooked compositions and free fo
By Lee Jon-young National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo returned home from Cambodia and Malaysia tour on Sept. 14. During his visit, Speaker Kim focused on strengthening trade, investment, and development cooperation with Cambodia, a key ASEAN member, and expanding cooperation in various fields such as defense and infrastructure with Malaysia, which is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its East Asian policy, as well as spreading support for the 2030 Busan Expo across ASEAN countries. In Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, Kim, who is the first South Korean parliament speaker to make an offic
By Yoon Gi-soon Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province visited Camp Humphreys with U.S. Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg and met with key U.S. military personnel, including General Paul LaCamera, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea and United Nations Command, General Willard M. Burleson III, Commander of the Eighth U.S. Army, and Brigadier General Ryan P. Keeney, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Seventh Air Force, on Sept. 13. Governor Kim expressed his gratitude for the invitation to Camp Humphreys, stating, "I am thankful for the invitation to Camp Humphreys, a symbol of the U.S.-Korea alliance. Gy
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Samtan Art Mine, the first cultural and artistic mine in South Korea, attempts to explore a meeting with the "Africa Primitive Art" with contemporary Korean artists. Organized by Samtan Art Mine and sponsored by Jeongseon County and Jeongamsa Temple, the exhibition titled "Contemporary Art Inspiration from African Art" will be showcased at the Samtan Art Mine Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) until August 25. Participating artists include painters Kwon Hak-jun, Park Bong-gi, Saya, Wi Se-bok, Yoon Hoo-myeong, Lee In, Cho Young-jae, sculptors, and more. While there
I would like to express my gratitude to President Zelensky for the invitation and special consideration during these challenging times. First and foremost, I extend deep condolences to the innocent Ukrainian citizens who lost their lives due to Russia's illegal aggression and to the young Ukrainians and their families who sacrificed their lives to defend freedom. As the President of the Republic of Korea, I feel a great sense of responsibility as I visit Ukraine for the first time, especially during this critical period. During this visit, along with the South Korean government delegation, I h
By Kim Ji-eun The organizing committee of 'The Fact Music Awards (TMA)' announced on Sept. 13, "Singer Im Young-woong has been added to the 5th lineup of '2023 The Fact Music Awards'. Im Young-woong has achieved remarkable success with his second self-composed song, 'Grain of Sand,' released in June. The song has stayed for a total of 11 weeks on the Billboard 'Global (excluding the US)' chart and continues to maintain its top position on domestic music charts even after three months since its release, enjoying steady popularity. Based on a strong fan base spanning various age groups, Im Young