By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Seoul to the Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. On September 2, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his annual state-of-the-nation address titled “Just Kazakhstan: Law and Order, Economic Growth, Public Optimism.” In his speech, President Tokayev outlined the key goals for the nation’s development, focusing on sustainable socio-economic progress. A significant announcement was the upcoming nationwide referendum on October 6 regarding the construction of a nuclear power plant. “The
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The 10th Global Korean Politicians Forum, which brings together current and former Korean politicians from around the world, kicked off on Aug. 20 at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul. The event, themed “Global politicians in the world, designing the future beyond the inflection point,” was the largest ever. More than 100 participants from 14 countries attended. Speaker Woo Won-sik of the National Assembly, Representative Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party, Representative Lee Ki-heon of the Democratic Party of Korea, Lee Sang-deok, commissioner of the Overseas
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Mukhtarama Komilova, correspondent of the National Information Agency of Uzbekistan (UzA), to the Diplomacy Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. As is known, following the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference, held in Paris on November 7-22, 2023, a historic decision was made to hold the following 43rd session in 2025 in Samarkand. This decision was supported by all 194 member states of the organization. This is a high assessment of the systemic reforms in Uzbekistan in recent
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Gulom Mirzayev, Doctor of philosophy in historical sciences (PhD), associate professor at the University of Public Safety of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. – Ed. Uzbekistan's policy in Central Asia has reached a qualitatively higher level. The trend of developing mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries of the region is intensifying with its own characteristics. According to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan has given pr
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Bakhrom Babayev, Head of the Department of Water and Ecological Research, International Institute of Central Asia, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. – Ed. Uzbekistan, located in the heart of Central Asia, faces unique environmental challenges that require an integrated approach and strategic planning. In recent years, the country has been taking active steps to protect the environment by integrating sustainable development into national programs and projects. These effor
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Odilbek Sotvoldiyev, research fellow, the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. Annotation: In this article we will look at China's experience in organizing the civil service system, explore the country's basic principles and accepted practices, and also analyze its success and efficiency. China was one of the first countries to recognize the importance of professionalism and competence
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo | The following article was contributed by Rakhmatulla I. Nurimbetov, PhD, researcher of the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies to the Diplomacy Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. On July 4, 2024, in Astana, in the capital of Kazakhstan, 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) took place, attended by more than dozen leaders of Eurasian countries and the heads of several international organizations, including the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. One of its
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier docked at the Busan Naval Operations Base on June 25. This is the third time a sitting president has boarded a U.S. aircraft carrier, following former Presidents Park Chung-hee in 1974 and Kim Young-sam in 1994. The Roosevelt aircraft carrier's visit to South Korea is a step toward implementing the Washington Declaration, adopted by the leaders of the United States and South Korea in April last year, and symbolizes the United States' ironclad defense commitment to South Korea, includi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s foreign minister were found dead on May 20 hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, the AP reported. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in the Shiite theocracy, quickly named a little-known vice president as caretaker and insisted the government was in control, but the deaths marked yet another blow to a country beset by pressures at home and abroad. Related to this, the government of the Republic of Korea expressed its deepest condolences and sympathy on May 20 to the bereaved fami
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young | The Freedom Shield (FS) 2024 joint exercise concluded on March 14. The 11-day exercise, which began on March 4 and concluded on March 14, was based on exercise scenarios reflecting the changing threats and security situation, including lessons from recent wars, and assumed various situations, including a transition of war and all-out war, according to the United Nations Command (UNC). In particular, this year's exercise focused on multi-domain operations utilizing land, sea, air, cyber and space assets and neutralizing the North Korean nuclear threat. The R
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The UN Secretary-General on March 9 highlighted the urgent need for a negotiated political solution in Syria, emphasizing the protection of civilians and the dire humanitarian situation. March marks the thirteenth anniversary of the conflict in Syria, with systematic atrocities and untold suffering of civilians. According to UN estimates, 16.7 million people, equivalent to 70 per cent of the total population, will require humanitarian assistance in 2024. Roughly half the pre-war population remains displaced inside or outside Syria. Compounding the crisis, a ser
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Obid Khakimov, director of the Center for Economic Research and Reforms under the Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication via the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. The dynamic growth of the population of Uzbekistan requires at least high outstripping economic growth rates in order to adequately meet the growing needs and improve the standard of living of people. But this requires new, more balanced and verified approaches to ensure timely achievement of the set goals. And
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol invited Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, and actor Lee Jung-jae, who will appear in "Squid Game 2," to the presidential residence for a luncheon on Feb. 17. Sarandos shared the progress since the announcement of Netflix's investment in Korea last year, and President Yoon expressed gratitude for Netflix's rapid and substantial investments, requesting continued investment in K-content. During his state visit to the United States on April 24 last year, Sarandos announced plans to invest KRW 3.33 trillion (USD 2.5 billion) in Korea over th
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Saia Ma'u Piukala, the new Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific, at his office on May 20, to share in-depth discussions on building a global healthy society. Piukala, formerly the Minister of Health of Tonga, took over as the Director of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, one of the six WHO regional offices (Europe, Pan-America, Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, Western Pacific, and Southeast Asia) on February 1, and chose Korea as his first overseas visit.
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Global governance in its present form is entrenching divisions and fuelling discontent, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told world leaders attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Feb. 16, the UN News reported. “Our world is facing existential challenges, but the global community is more fragmented and divided than at any time during the past 75 years,” he said, highlighting the need for “a global order that works for everyone”. Mr. Guterres said if countries fulfilled their obligations under the UN Charter, every person on Earth would live