By Lee Kap-soo Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Bang Moon-kyu met with Vietnam’s Industry and Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien on December 7 at the Shilla Seoul to hold the 13th Korea-Vietnam Industrial Joint Committee and 7th Korea-Vietnam FTA Joint Committee meetings, where they discussed measures for stronger economic cooperation. During the Industrial Joint Committee meeting, the two leaders agreed to push forward the establishment of a critical minerals supply chain center and cooperation in materials and parts technology development as a swift follow-up to the memorandum of understandi
By Lee Kap-soo As part of the celebration of the first anniversary of the signing of the Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation between the cities of Almaty and Busan, a concert of the Kazakh folklore and ethnographic ensemble "Sazgen Sazy" was held in Busan on Nov. 15. The main organizers of the event were the Busan City Hall, the Busan Global City Foundation with the support of the Akimat of Almaty and the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in Busan. Residents and guests of Busan warmly welcomed the Kazakh ensemble and had the opportunity to enjoy and get to know the music of the great steppe
By Lee Jon-young Rogers Holdings Chairman Jim Rogers, one of the world's most famous three investors, will visit South Korea on Dec. 10 and will depart on Dec. 12. Chairman Jim Rogers is coming to Korea at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Bukkwan Victory Monument National Movement, a juridical foundation, to consult on the production of a drama about General Jeong Mun-bu, who defeated the invading Japanese army during the Imjin War in 1592. Jim Rogers was also invited to the photo exhibition of General Jeong Mun-bu last year and said at the time, “I want to make General Jeong Mun
By Lee Kap-soo Korea and Canada concluded the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the Department of the Environment of Canada concerning Cooperation on Climate Change, signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada Steven Guilbeault on December 3, 2023 on the occasion of the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP28, Nov. 30-Dec. 12, Dubai) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This MOU has been concluded, as President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Abdulaziz Rasulev, Academic Secretary at Institute of Legislation and Legal Policy under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Doctor of Science in Law, Professor, to Diplomacy Journal. – ED. In the Republic of Uzbekistan, significant results have been achieved in recent years within the framework of judicial and legal reforms, which have affected all spheres. As indicated by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev “over the last years we have accomplished a profound work to establish justice in the judicial
By Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs successfully hosted the “fifth International Conference on Action with Women and Peace” on November 30. The conference marked the fifth of its kind held as part of the “Action with Women and Peace Initiative” launched by the Foreign Ministry in 2018 to contribute to international discussions on women, peace and security (WPS). The event brought together about 40 guest speakers and some 300 participants, including relevant government officials of major countries as well as members of international organizations and civil societies, who engaged in in-
By Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Seoul held the “Art of cultural diplomacy” exhibition at Yongsan Art Hall in Seoul on Nov. 15. Eight Azerbaijani young artists, including Aydan Mammadova, introduced their paintings to Korean artists and general people at the exhibition. Among the foreign and domestic guests attending the exhibition, Ambassador Salih Murat Tamer of Turkiye, Amb. Andrew Chernetsky of Belarus, and Kim Sun-su, vice mayor of Yongsan-gu. Delivering a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Amb. Ramin M. Hasanov, said, “Today we are here to celebra
By Lee Kap-soo Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin attended the "Special Luncheon on Korea-U.S. Economic Partnership," jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, and the U.S. Embassy in Korea on Nov. 28. The event, attended by over 100 participants including Korean and American business leaders as well as members of the diplomatic corps in Korea, took the form of a dialogue between Minister Park and Ambassador Goldberg, focusing on the theme of "Enhancing Economic Partnership between Korea and the U.S. in Commemoration of the 70th Annivers
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Azamjon Farmonov, Head of the public association "Legal support" in human rights of Uzbekistan, to Diplomacy Journal. – ED. Freedom of speech, opinion and information is a fundamental human right. According to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. In addition, Arthur Sulzberger, publisher of
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Otabek Khasanov, First Deputy Director, Agency for the Development of Public Service under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal. –ED. We are living through the greatest technological transition since industrialization, with Artificial Intelligence and automation precipitating major transformations in the nature and experience of work. Structural transformation driven by technology raises concerns about the future of work among policymakers, as well as employers and employees. As technology advances, there
By Lee Kap-soo The economic forum “Wind of Kazakhstan” was held in the Korean province of Jeollabuk-do with the participation of representatives of the Akimat of the Almaty region, business and academic circles of the two countries on Dec. 5. The event was hosted by the Jeollabuk-do Provincial Administration and the Province's International Cooperation Agency. While delivering welcoming remarks, Ambassador of Kazakhstan Nurgali Arystanov said that Kazakhstan was interested in developing cooperation with the Jeollabuk-do province in areas such as agriculture, smart farms, digital trade, constru
By Kayla Lee KB Kookmin Bank, a strategic partner of GLN International, signed an MOU on Nov. 15 with SCB (Siam Commercial Bank) to provide enhanced financial services for customers using 'KB Wallet', the digital wallet on the KB Kookmin bank's banking application, while traveling in Thailand. Under this new agreement, KB and SCB will collaborate on developing a novel financial model for cross-border payment infrastructure in both Korea and Southeast Asia. They will share financial technology and infrastructure expertise. Initially, they will cooperate on joint marketing efforts for customers
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Tanzila Narbaeva, Chairwoman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal. –ED. In recent years, the world has been troubled by unexpected threats, conflicting relations, environmental consequences, geopolitical conflicts and a crisis of mutual distrust. In such a complex period, issues of national statehood, territorial and regional security are becoming more serious. In this sense, it is plain as day how necessary it is to establish the spirit of understanding, tolerance, solidarity and trust
By Lee Kap-soo “Belarus and South Korea could really find common points of joining efforts in preventing global threats to the humanity. For example, practical cooperation with the Republic of Korea is possible in the area of preventing climate change and global warming, as well as on the cooperation in the field of forestation and oxygen production, food security maintenance and collaboration in analyzing the impact of man-made disasters on the environment,” said H.E. Andrew Chernetsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to Korea. In an exclusive interview
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in San Francisco for the APEC Summit, held the first Korea-Peru summit since his inauguration with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Nov. 16. During the meeting, the President requested Peru's support for the 2030 Busan World Expo and exchanged views on ways to develop bilateral relations. During the summit, held eight years after the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the two leaders reaffirmed that Korea and Peru are comprehensive strategic partners with shared core values and agreed to strengthen cooperation