By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Chungnam-do has agreed to expand exchanges with its sister province of Sichuan, China, to include parliamentary, administrative, and sports fields. The provincial government said on July 16 that Chungnam-do Governor Kim Tae-heum and Tian Xiangli, chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Political Consultative Conference, discussed ways to expand public-private cooperation, revitalize exchanges in the high-tech industry, and promote parliamentary and administrative exchanges. The main contents include exchanges between the city council and the Sichuan Provincial Peopl
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Gwangju City Mayor Kang Ki-jeong met with Thai Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Tanee Sangrat in the reception room of the city hall on June 21 to discuss cooperation in high-tech industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) and future cars. "Gwangju City, together with the National Asian Culture Center, has been conducting cultural ODA (official development assistance) projects in Chiang Mai, Thailand, since last year, and Gwangju FC visits Thailand every year for winter training," said Mayor Kang. "I hope that these ties will lead to a stronger relation
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young On the occasion of the Buddha's birthday in 2568 (A.D. 2024), Buddhist temples across the country held ceremonies to celebrate the birth of Buddha. The Buddhist community prayed that Buddhists and people would regain peace of mind and mental health through practice and meditation, and that world peace would be realized, as the theme of this year's celebration, "Peace of Mind, Happy World," was chosen by the Buddha Day Celebration Committee. The ceremony was held at Jogye Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the headquarters of the Jogye sect, with more than 10,000 peo
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young “Daegu Prison, with a history of 100 years, will start a new 100 years in Habin.” Daegu Prison held a relocation ceremony at the prison's general sports field in Habin-myeon, Dalseong-gun, Daegu City on May 2. More than 300 guests attended the ceremony, including Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, Dalseong-gun Mayor Choi Jae-hoon, Daegu High Prosecutor's Office Director Noh Jung-yeon, Daegu District Prosecutor's Officew Director Shin Eung-seok, Corrections Headquarters Director Shin Yong-hae, Daegu Regional Corrections Commissioner
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol said at a press conference on May 9, “I will mobilize all the country's capabilities to overcome the declining birthrate, which is a national emergency,” and announced the establishment of a new planning ministry, tentatively titled the 'Ministry of Low Birthrate Response Planning,' to prepare for a low birthrate and aging population.” President Yoon made the announcement in a message to the public earlier in the day at a press conference on the second anniversary of his inauguration at the Yongsan presidential office in Seoul. “We wil
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Goyang Special City (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan) held an international cooperation promotion meeting inviting ambassadors from 32 countries at KINTEX on April 27. At the event, the ambassadors discussed ways to expand the number of countries participating in the Goyang International Flower Expo, revitalize coffee industry and cultural exchanges, and promote and cooperate on the designation of a free economic zone. Mayor Lee Dong-hwan welcomed and thanked the ambassadors from 32 countries, saying, “Today's world is forming a global village where boundaries between coun
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol held talks with Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party at the Yongsan presidential office on April 29. According to Lee Do-woon, chief of the presidential press office, the meeting lasted about two hours and 15 minutes. The presidential office was represented by the secretary, chief political affairs officer, and chief public relations officer, while the Democratic Party of Korea was represented by the secretary, policy chairman, and chief spokesperson. The meeting discussed a variety of issues, centered on the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Hanam City Mayor Lee Hyun-jae held a tea meeting with Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto and Italian Cultural Center Director Michela Linda Magri at the Hanam Culture and Arts Center on April 27, the city said. The city organized the meeting to discuss expanding cultural, tourism, and artistic exchanges with Amb. Emilia Gatto, who is visiting the Hanam Arts Center to watch a performance of the ballet “Don Quixote,” which commemorates the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy this year. The relationship between Korea and Italy i
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Ansan City announced that an economic delegation, headed by Mayor Lee Min-geun officially visited Dresden, Germany on April 24 (local time) and held a meeting to explore international cooperation. At the meeting, the two cities discussed mutual strategies for building a high-tech semiconductor cluster and attracting global companies while exploring ways to cooperate in the future. Dresden is the capital of the state of Saxony, located in eastern Germany, 189 kilometers south of the capital Berlin. It is one of the important cities of the former East Germany,
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Robb Pitts, Chairman of Fulton County, USA, and a delegation visited the Seongnam City Council on April 22 to promote exchanges between the two regions. The delegation met with Vice Chairperson Park Eun-mi and Culture and Welfare Committee Chairperson Ahn Geuk-soo to discuss ways to promote friendship and exchange between the two regions. “We are looking to establish partnerships with Korean companies that are interested in expanding into Fulton County,” said Chairman Robb Pitts, “and we would like to establish industrial exchanges with tech-savvy small and med
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Ambassadors from four Nordic countries visited Pohang City Hall on April 18 and discussed mutual cooperation in new industries with Pohang City Mayor Lee Kang-deok. The ambassadors visited Pohang were those from Denmark, an offshore wind power powerhouse; Norway, the world's No. 1 electric vehicle penetration rate and the largest possessor of smart aquaculture technology; Sweden, Europe's largest battery manufacturer and clean power source; and Finland, which has become a key producer of the battery value chain. Their visit was organized at the suggestion of Da
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Goyang Special City Mayor Lee Dong-hwan, who is visiting Vietnam, signed business agreements with the Vietnam Agricultural Trade Promotion Center and the Mekong Research Institute for Science, Technology, Education and Application on April 15, and visited the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC) and the Vin University to solidify cooperation. "I hope that we can establish a win-win cooperation system that will open up opportunities for Goyang companies to enter Vietnam in the future, and for Vietnamese companies to establish themselves in the free economi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young "The priority of the national government is people's lives," President Yoon Suk-yeol said at his first meeting with Prime Minister Han Deok-soo after the general election on April 15, adding, "Let's do our best to stabilize people's lives." Yoon also asked the prime minister to "review the working atmosphere of the civil service and the discipline of the civil service in order to stabilize people's lives," according to his spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung. Yoon had also issued a message emphasizing "civil stability" on April 11, the day after the general election.
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Jecheon City Mayor Kim Chang-kyu recently held a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Xing Haiming to explore ways to cooperate in attracting Chinese companies to invest in Jecheon. The meeting was attended by Jecheon Mayor Kim Chang-kyu, Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming, Deputy Chief of Mission Fang Kun. They listened to the difficulties faced by Chinese companies in entering Korea and discussed continued cooperation for investment in Jecheon. As the atmosphere for attracting foreign companies to Korea is currently heating up, w
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo "We will humbly accept the will of the people expressed in the general election and do our best to renew the state affairs and stabilize the economy and people's lives," said President Yoon Suk-yeol. Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea secured large majority in the general election, crushing the ruling People's Power Party. The Democratic Party of Korea won 175 seats in the general election, maintaining its position as the sole majority party. The People's Power Party won 108 seats, the Fatherland Innovation Party 12 seats, the Reform Party 3 seats, the N