By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Prime Minister Han Duck-soo hosted an inter-ministerial meeting to review the progress in preparations and relevant future plans for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) on August 30, 2024, at the Government Complex Seoul. The meeting was convened after Gyeongsangbuk-do Gyeongju’s selection as the host city for the AELM on June 27, 2024. The attendees included the Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the First Vice Minister of Economy and Finance, the Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, the
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with three newly appointed members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) -- Vice Chairman Cho Hyun-sang of HS Hyosung, Vice Chairman Lee Kyu-ho of Kolon, and CEO Lee Ju-wan of Megazone Cloud -- on August 26. During the meeting, they exchanged views on the significance of Korea’s role as the chair of 2025 APEC as well as the activities of entrepreneurs within APEC. The Minister requested their full support to ensure the successful hosting of 2025 APEC. Minister Cho emphasized that Korea’s role as chair of APEC nex
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met on Aug. 27 with Ambassador Carlos Victor Boungou of Gabon to South Korea, who will leave from his post and return to Gabon, at the end of August. Minister Cho praised Ambassador Boungou for his significant contributions to the development of bilateral relations during his 13 years of service as Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, as well as his role as the Head of the Diplomatic Corps in Korea and the Head of the African Diplomatic Corps in Korea, where he served as a bridge between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Embassy of Peru in the Republic of Korea inaugurated on August 21 the exhibition “Conciencia/Awareness” by renowned graphic designer Ciro Palomino at the 172G Gallery located in 172, Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The exhibition “Conciencia/Awareness” includes 43 illustrations that address various topics such as war and its consequences, the situation of the Korean peninsula, climate change, freedom of expression, emigration, education, among other topics. The pieces exhibited by Ciro do not need any interpretation, because as he himself points out, “each wo
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Among traditional Korean paintings, Goeseokmorando, or 怪石牡丹圖 has attracted the attention of many for its unique beauty and deep philosophical meaning. The painting depicts a strange rock found in nature, Goeseok, and a peony, which symbolizes wealth and honor, and it ehas become one of the most representative genres of the Joseon Dynasty. The history of Goseokmorando begins with the genre's development in the late Joseon Dynasty, especially from the 17th to the 19th centuries. This was a time when traditional landscape painting and flower-and-bird painting were f
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Artist Seo Eun-hye, who paints Korean wildflowers, has been selected to exhibit her work on the big screen in New York's Times Square for the second consecutive year. According to the Busan art community on July 4, Seo was selected as one of 12 artists from around the world to participate in the 'Art Forum: No Boundaries' exhibition organized by Vision Art Media, and had the opportunity to display her work as video art on the big screen in New York Times Square on July 19. This is the second year in a row that Seo has been honored with the selection, as she was t
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Ambassador Koichi Mizushima of Japan to South Korea at the Mayor's Office in Seoul City Hall to discuss future bilateral exchanges on Aug. 12. Ambassador Koichi Mizushima served as the Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Japan in Korea from 2017-2019 and was appointed Ambassador of Japan to Korea in May. After his official appointment, he said, "For Japan, Korea is a partner in solving international tasks.” Seoul and Tokyo signed a friendly city agreement in 1988 and Seoul signed a friendly city agreement with Hokkaido in 2010
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held a meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, who is on an official visit to Korea from August 1 to 2, in Seoul on Aug. 2. They discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations, including diplomacy and security, trade and investment, future industries (clean energy, digital finance, smart infrastructure), tourism, consular affairs, and labor, as well as cooperation on regional and international issues. Minister Cho emphasized that Thailand is our key ally who fought together for freedom and peace during the
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul had a meeting with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India, on July 26, on the occasion of the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This was the second face-to-face meeting between the two ministers, following the 10th ROK-India Joint Commission Meeting in March. The two Ministers noted with appreciation the active high-level exchanges between the two countries this year, which marks the first year after the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. In addition, Minister Cho once a
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong to discuss Korea-Australia relations as well as regional and global affairs on July 30. Both ministers recognized the continued development of the cooperative relationship between Korea and Australia, emphasizing their alignment as key like-minded countries in the region with shared democratic values and perspectives on regional and global issues and as “Comprehensive Strategic Partners” seeking more strategic and future-oriented collaboration. The ministers noted
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Many Korean legends and myths are closely linked to nature. One of the most notable is the 'Manbyeonghwajodo' (萬病花朝圖). As its name suggests, this unique flower is said to have the mystical ability to cure all ailments, and the legends and stories surrounding it have been passed down through the ages. Manbyeonghwajodo is a painting that depicts the characteristic elements of the flower in a stylized manner, rather than in a realistic form. Each canvas is labeled with the names of flowers, such as Hangyuoknyeo Jikgeumhwa, Hongdohwa, Dongjeonghosangbuyonghwa, Yeongj
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul held a luncheon meeting on July 22 with Albanian Foreign Minister Igli Hasani, who is on an official visit from July 21 to 25, and exchanged views on bilateral relations, economic cooperation, cooperation on the international stage, and regional affairs. Minister Cho welcomed the first official visit by an Albanian foreign minister to Korea in 13 years, since 2011, and expressed his hope that Minister Hasani's visit will serve as an important opportunity for the development of bilateral relations. Minister Cho also explained that the
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The 27th World Peace Art Exhibition 2024 has completed the first and second rounds of judging. The overall grand prize (Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award) went to Kang Moa (Folk Painting), and the category grand prizes (Seoul Mayor's Award and Chairman's Award) went to Cho Kyung-sun (Folk Painting), Kim Young-ok (Western Painting), Joo Eun-young (Western Painting), and Oh Yoon-hee (Korean Painting) and Cho Jin-won (Calligraphy). They will receive a certificate and a purchase cash prize. The 550 selected works out of 1,250 entries will be exhibited fro
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul invited the European diplomatic corps in Korea to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a tea meeting on July 16. Minister Cho spoke on Korea's policy direction towards Europe, noting the importance of continuing cooperation between Korea and Europe based on universal values and expressing Korea's will to expand cooperation. Participants in the tea meeting were heads of Mission or Chargé d’Affaires from the embassies in Korea of 34 European states and the European Union, including Poland, Croatia, Austria, Latvia, Estonia, Ro
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee South Korea will launch a joint public-private 'urban export' program to develop new cities in Vietnam based on the Korean new city model. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) said that a joint public-private assistance team headed by Minister Park Sang-woo visited Vietnam from July 15-17, where the two countries agreed to cooperate on large-scale projects such as urban development and high-speed rail construction in Vietnam. The visit is aimed at concretizing the follow-up projects of the Urban Growth Partnership Program (UGPP), the outcom