By Lee Kap-soo President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended the opening ceremony of the 104th Korean National Sports Festival held at the Mokpo Sports Complex on Oct. 13. The 104th edition of the National Games, which features athletes from 17 cities and provinces across the country, as well as overseas Korean athletes from around the world, was held in Jeollanam-do for the first time in 15 years since Yeosu in 2008, and will run for seven days from October 13 to 19. The 104th edition of the National Games featured overseas Korean athletes from 18 countries (Japan, the United S
By Kim Ji-eun The "Korea-U.S. Space Forum," co-hosted by South Korea and the United States to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance, kicked off its two-day schedule on Nov. 6. "Today, the Korea-U.S. partnership is a global comprehensive strategic alliance," said Foreign Minister Park Jin in his remarks at the opening ceremony of the forum at the Grand Hyatt in Seoul on Nov. 6. "Our collaborative efforts are not limited to the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, but extend beyond the Indo-Pacific region and into space." Commenting on the "militarization of space," Park said
By Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin met with Deputy Prime Minister of Construction and Industry Baymyrat Annamammedov of Turkmenistan at the opening site of Daewoo E&C's Ashgabat branch to discuss the difficulties faced by Korean companies in Turkmenistan and issues related to winning projects in the energy and plant sectors on Oct. 31. During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Annamammedov highly praised the achievements of Korean companies, including the construction of the Galkinish desulfurization facility and the Kiyanli gas and chemical plant, and looked forward to furt
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the Yongsan Presidential Office on November 3 and exchanged views on bilateral relations, ways to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, and regional and international developments. The President said that as Ireland is a friendship country that shared the universal values of freedom, human rights, and the rule of law during the Korean War, it is significant that Prime Minister Varadkar is visiting Korea this year on the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countrie
By Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of Peru in Korea will organize the longest traveling exhibition of Peruvian traditional handicraft “Pucará Bull: Ambassador of the Peruvian Highlands” in the Seoul City Hall from November 8 to 24 with the support of the Metropolitan Government of Seoul. The famous exhibition has already been presented in more than 22 cities around the world, the Embassy of Peru in Korea said. The “Pucará Bulls” constitutes a highly appreciated cultural good, product of the fusion between the Andean and Western cultures. They are normally located on the ceilings of the houses to prote
By Kim Ji-eun Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin had a series of telephone calls with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Eli Cohen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, Ayman Al-Safadi, on October 29 and discussed the recent escalation of the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas. Foreign Minister Park expressed deep concern over the current situation where the total death toll has exceeded 9,400 due to the escalation of the armed
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a keynote address to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 20, calling the international community's attention to the illegality and danger of the military deal between North Korea and Russia and calling for a united response. In addition to expressing his country's willingness to actively contribute to resolving challenges such as global disparities, President Yoon also called for support for the 2030 Busan World Expo (Busan Expo). President Yoon said at the General Debate on the floor of the UN General Assembly in
By Lee Kap-soo “Türkiye and Korea have gained great momentum in commercial and military relations as well as our tourism relations throughout the last 70 years,” said Ambassador H.E. Murat Tamer on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye on Oct. 30, 2023. Delivering a speech at the Turkish national day reception held at Shilla Hotel in Seoul, Ambassador Tamer said, “Turkish Airlines, which has the world's largest network of destinations, operates 11 flights a week between Seoul and Istanbul, and this number increases to 22 with Korean companies. We
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Andong Byeongsan Seowon (auditorium)on Oct. 27 to find solutions for regional development with more than 30 Yurims (confucians), the great teachers of Korean society's spiritual culture. The President's visit to Andong is the first in about 18 months, following his last visit in April last year, shortly after his election, and fulfills a promise he made during his campaign to meet with Andong Yurims and visit them again. The President shook hands with each of the elders, who greeted him with applause, and thanked them for their warm welcome. "As
By Lee Kap-soo Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming said on Oct. 13, “Korea and Shandong Province will see greater possibility and chances in bilateral trade and economic cooperation in the future.” Delivering a congratulatory speech at the 2023 Dialogue – Korea, Shandong industrial cooperation exchange event held at Hotel Shilla in Seoul, Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming said, “Shandong Province is the most active region for logistics activities in China. Accordingly, the province is in a leading position in expanding and accelerating business and economic cooperation between Korea a
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the 44th anniversary memorial service for former President Park Chung-hee along with former President Park Geun-hye at the National Cemetery in Seoul on Oct. 26 The memorial service for former President Park has been held annually since 1980, organized by the National Revival Association, and this is the first time a sitting president has attended the memorial service. Former President Park Chung-hee's eldest daughter, Park Geun-hye, also attended the memorial service, adding to its significance. The memorial service began with an opening speec
By Lee Kap-soo President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is on a state visit to Qatar at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar, held a meeting with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar on October 25. Prior to the meeting, an official welcome ceremony was held in the main hall of Amiri Diwan Palace to celebrate President Yoon's state visit. The Qatari side escorted the President's vehicle as it entered the Amiri Diwan Palace entrance, accompanied by mounted and camel troops. The President was received by His Highness Emir Tamim in the concourse of Amiri Diwan Palace, where he was escorted by th
By Kim Ji-eun | Foreign Minister Park Jin visited the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the U.S. 5th Fleet, which arrived at Naval Base in Busan to mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance, to learn about the current status of U.S.-ROK cooperation to strengthen the joint defense posture on Oct. 15. Minister Park was guided by Fifth Fleet Commander Pat Hannifin and Commander Daryle Cardone, and received a detailed briefing on the carrier's operations, including the hangar, flight deck, and control tower. "The U.S.-ROK relationship, which celebrated its
By Kim Ji-eun First Lady Kim Keon-hee held a meeting with members of the Korean Women's Association in Japan at the Yongsan Presidential Office on Oct. 11. The organization members met with the former President Park Geun-hye in 2014, and Mrs. Kim encouraged them to continue their work and asked them to play a role in revitalizing inter-Korean exchanges. Founded in 1949, the Korean Women's Association in Japan is an organization of Korean women living in Japan, with a total of more than 100,000 members at its central headquarters and 44 local chapters. "As a daughter of the Republic of Korea an
By Lee Jon-young This article was contributed by Daejeon Police Chief Chung Yong-geun to the Diplomacy Journal….Ed. A 'red light' has been raised on the mental health of our society. As of 2019, there were 3.16 million people with mental illnesses in Korea, excluding dementia, an increase of 22% in five years. The National Mental Health Status Report (2021) estimated the socioeconomic cost of mental illness at 11.3 trillion won, which is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 10%. On the other hand, the medical infrastructure for systematic management of the mentally ill is deterior