By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM), led by Chairman and CEO James Kim, met with Ju Biung-ghi, newly appointed Chairperson of the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), on Nov. 6 at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul to exchange views on the new administration’s fair trade policy direction and key issues faced by global companies operating in the Korean market. As part of Chairperson Ju’s ongoing series of industry outreach efforts following his appointment, this meeting served as a platform to discuss the new administration’s fair trade policy priorities a
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Praying for the successful hosting of the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul, the ‘Concert of Love’ commemorating the 78th anniversary of the establishment of Jamwon-dong Cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul will be held on the evening of November 15 in the main sanctuary. This concert will be open to all, featuring free admission and open seating, designed as an inclusive festival for both parishioners and local residents. Amidst the gentle melodies enveloping late autumn, the parish community will share a time of faith filled with hope and love. Ahead of t
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The 21st Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum was held in Doha, Qatar on November 10, under the auspices of the Korean and Qatari Ministries of Foreign Affairs. It was co-hosted by the Korea-Arab Society (KAS), the Jeju Peace Institute (JPI), and the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (MEC) of Qatar. The Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum is a 1.5-track forum held alternately in Korea and the Middle East since 2003 to enhance mutual understanding, deepen practical cooperation, and strengthen human networks with influential Middle Eastern figures. Since 2022, i
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), in collaboration with the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE), successfully hosted the 2025 ASEAN-Korea Music Concert in Vietnam on November 1 and hosted the 2025 ASEAN-Korea Innovate Culture Forum in Singapore on November 8 as part of its Future Innovation Cultural Exchange Initiative, which aims to advance foundations for cultural exchange while broadening mutual understanding and cooperation between Korea and ASEAN countries. Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism,
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, currently visiting Cambodia, paid a courtesy call on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Nov. 10 and subsequently held a luncheon meeting with Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn. This visit marks the first by a South Korean Foreign Minister to Cambodia in three years and was arranged as a follow-up to the Korea-Cambodia Summit held in Malaysia on October 27. During his meeting with Prime Minister Hun Manet, Minister Cho highly commended the swift establishment of the 'Korea-Cambodia Joint Task Force for Koreans' (abbreviated as the ‘Joint
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee At the 80th session of the UNGA First Committee, two resolutions submitted by the Republic of Korea (ROK) were adopted on Thursday, November 6, with overwhelming support from UN Member States: “Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain and its Implications for International Peace and Security,” co-tabled by the ROK and the Netherlands, and “Youth, Disarmament and Non-proliferation,” tabled solely by the ROK, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The “Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain and its Implications for International Peace and Security” res
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism hosted this year's K Wave Festival at the theater CKL (Contents Korea Lab) Stage of the tourist information and cultural center HiKR Ground in Seoul's Jung-gu District on Nov. 8. The event encouraged Korea.net's 1,498 Honorary Reporters in 101 countries who promote Korea to the world, 1,303 K-influencers in 95 countries and competitors of the global Korean content contest Talk Talk Korea. Five awards each went to the top Honorary Reporters, K-influencers and first-place winners in each division of Talk Talk Korea. Seven
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Embassy of France in Seoul jointly hosted an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, French Ambassador to South Korea Philippe Bertoux reaffirmed France's firm commitment to protecting the planet. At an event co-hosted by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Embassy of France in Korea, Ambassador Philippe Bertoux stated, "We believe that the Global Partnership for International Cooperation (GPIC) and Korea can help achieve this
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held his first telephone conversation with Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen on November 5, exchanging views on bilateral relations and the international situation. Minister Cho noted the strengthening of substantive cooperation between South Korea and Finland in areas such as the defense industry and key minerals, and expressed his hope that they would deepen cooperation across all sectors through active high-level exchanges. Minister Valtonen congratulated Minister Cho on his inauguration and praised South Korea's succ
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the second meeting in 2025 of its policy advisory committee on economic diplomacy, chaired by Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs, Kim Hee-sang, on November 6, 2025. A total of 19 participants attended, including five advisory committee members and the Directors-General for International Economic Affairs, Bilateral Economic Affairs, and Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Scientific Affairs. Deputy Minister Kim noted that during the nearly five months since the inauguration of the new administration, Korea has achieved me
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Amira Agarib, Ambassador of Sudan to South Korea, announced on Nov. 5 that Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, is facing a serious humanitarian crisis due to the atrocities committed by the Sudanese Rapid Support Force (RSF) rebels. Ambassador Agarib held a press conference at the Sudanese Embassy in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, stating that the RSF massacred approximately 2,000 civilians over the two days after capturing the strategic western city of Al-Fashir. "The approximately 26,000 refugees who fled Al-Fashir in recent days are suffering human rights violations,
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) is accelerating efforts to attract global leaders in next-generation industries, such as AI, fintech, semiconductors, and quantum computing, as Seoul emerges as a testbed and investment hub for global strategic industries. After the American AI and data cloud company Snowflake and Swiss quantum security semiconductor developer SEALSQ invested in Seoul earlier this year, French quantum computing leader Pasqal decided to join, marking the city’s third consecutive success in attracting global strategic industry leaders across
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Former President of Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) Lee Sang-ryul has received the Chevalier rank of the Légion d'honneur medal from the French government in recognition of his contributions to Korea-France space cooperation and the advancement of science and technology, the KARI said on Nov. 4. The Légion d'honneur is the French government's highest honor awarded to individuals with distinguished achievements in various fields, including military, academic, cultural, scientific, and industrial fields. Presenting the award on behalf of the French govern
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Latvian Ambassador to Korea Janis Berzins, ambassadors from 13 countries, descendants of independence activists, and Choi Jae-cheon, Chairman of the D.O.F. Organizing Committee, participated in the “2025 DMZ OPEN Peace Walk and Marathon” event on Nov. 1 and 2. The 'DMZ Peace Walk', held on the first day, is an event where participants walk along the Imjin River ecological trail within the Civilian Control Line (CCL) and experience ecological value and the meaning of peace firsthand. At the opening ceremony, six representative participants, including Gyeonggi Prov
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun had a meeting with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, who visited the Republic of Korea to attend the APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM) on Oct. 30. The two ministers exchanged views on bilateral relations, economic cooperation, cooperation in defense and the defense industry, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and major regional developments. Minister Cho welcomed Minister Wong’s visit to Korea and noted that the Korean government highly values the continued development of ROK-Australia relations. He expresse