By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Starting on July 1, Korea will assume the chairmanship of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) for one year, with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang In-sun serving as Chair, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on June 27. Critical minerals are indispensable for high-tech industries such as semiconductors, batteries, and electric vehicles, which are pivotal to Korea's economic prosperity and essential for the global clean energy transition for net-zero targets. However, the concentration of critical mineral reserves and processing facilities in a limited nu
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “The Dominican Republic and Korea need to become strategic partners this year,” said Dr. Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic in Korea. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal, Amb. Cuello Camilo said, “As far as I know, H. E. President Yoon Suk-yeol plans to go to Latin America twice this year to participate in the APEC summit in Peru, and later to Brazil to participate in the summit of the G20. It would be an honor for us to host President Yoon during a stopover in the Dominican Republic. He could then sign with H.
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Park Jang-ho, Director-General for Diplomatic Intelligence, and Brett Holmgren, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, signed the “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Bureau of Diplomatic Intelligence (BDI), and the United States Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) concerning Analytic Intelligence Cooperation” in Washington, D.C., the United States on June 24, 2024. The diplomatic authorities of the ROK and the U.S. have shared a common understandi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo | The following is the full-text of the joint statement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea. –Ed. On June 11-13, 2024, President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol paid a state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan at the invitation of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. On June 12, 2024, the Heads of two states (hereinafter referred to as the Parties) held negotiations in the city of Astana. During the negotiations, which took place in a friendly atmosphere, the Parties highly appreciated the dynamics of th
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “As we continue on the path towards lasting peace and sustainable development, Korea remains a steadfast partner with the Philippines through more than seven decades,” said Amb. Theresa Dizon-de Vega of the Philippines in Seoul on June 11. Delivering toast remarks at a reception on the occasion of the 126th anniversary of Philippine Independence and 75th anniversary of Philippines-Korea Relations held at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on June 11, 2024, Amb. Dizon-De Vega said, “Korea is the Philippines’ 5th top trading partner, 5th export destination, 4th largest import
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo On June 9, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul signed the Agreement on Climate Change Cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Peru with Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier González-Olaechea, who is visiting Korea to attend the 2024 Forum on Future Cooperation between Korea and Latin America (June 10). Recognizing that the severe impacts of climate change will only intensify in the coming years, the two ministers emphasized the need to urgently step up climate action during this decade, which is a critical time for action. They
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahayan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 29, reaffirming the UAE's pledge to invest USD 30 billion (approx. KRW 40 trillion) in Korea. Korea and the UAE signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on the occasion of the summit. The UAE is the first Arab country to sign a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Korea. The presidential office said that the summit confirmed the achievements of the UAE's sovereign wealth fund's $30 billion investment ple
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, and Premier Li Chang of the People's Republic of China met on May 27, 2024, in Seoul on the occasion of the 9th Trilateral Summit. Recalling that this year marks the 25th anniversary of trilateral cooperation, they agreed that the eight trilateral summits held since 2008 and the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) established in 2011 have laid a solid foundation for the institutionalization of trilateral cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to implement the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Venezuelan Olympic BMX medalist Daniel Dhers visited Korea and held a press conference at the headquarters of the Venezuelan Embassy in Seoul on May 20, 2024. Introducing that Daniel Dhers is a Venezuelan professional BMX rider and he is one of the most decorated BMX riders of all time, Charge d'Affaires a.i. Isabel Teresa Di Carlo Quero of Venezuela said, “Under President Maduro’s leadership, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has robustly continued the legacy of the revolutionary government, expanding social investments in sports infrastructure.” She said,
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Governor of the Turkistan province, Darkhan Satybaldy, paid an official visit to South Korea on April 1-3, 2024. During the visit, he held bilateral meetings with CEOs of private sector organizations. The Governor was welcomed at Korea International Trade Association (KITA) by its Chairman, Jin Sik Yoon. During the meeting, they discussed the investment opportunities and significant potential for trade cooperation. Speaking about the business friendly climate in Kazakhstan, the Governor invited member companies of KITA to cooperate with the Turkistan provin
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Aviation authorities of Kazakhstan and South Korea agreed to increase the number of weekly flights permitted between the two countries fourfold from 10 to 42 on March 21. According to Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan, the two parties reached the agreement during bilateral negotiations in Almaty that were attended by Saltanat Tompiyeva, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Kim Yeong Kook, Director General for Aviation Policy of the Republic of Korea. They have also reached an agreement on
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Korea, Nurgali Arystanov, took part in the event “Forest and Innovation - New Solutions for a Better World” to mark the International Day of Forests on March 21. It was organized by the Korea Forest Service and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) and attended by Ambassadors of AFoCO countries such as Chile, Brunei, Myanmar, the Philippines and Tajikistan. While delivering the remarks, the Kazakh Ambassador noted the positive dynamics of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Korea Forest Service and AFoCO in the fie
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “Today, Korea is 6th largest investor and 4th largest trade partner for Kazakhstan. In 2023, the number of Korean tourists traveling to Kazakhstan more than doubled,” said Nurgali A. Arystanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Korea. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal, Amb. Arystanov said, “We are now working on creating more conducive conditions for people-to-people ties between Kazakhstan and Korea. We discussed the ways to increase the frequency of flights between Kazakhstan and Korea, and adding new destinations
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Vice Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan Talgat Lastayev met with Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea Lee Yoon-sang in Sejong City on Feb. 19. During the meeting, they discussed the ways to increase the frequency of flights between Kazakhstan and Korea, and adding new destinations to the existing routes. They agreed to elevate the aviation cooperation to the next level by continuing regular aviation consultations. Moreover, Talgat Lastayev held meetings with the leadership of the T'Way airlines and Siri
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo As part of the IV Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, a meeting was held between the Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ermek Marzhikpayev and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea Yu In-chon. They discussed the main directions for developing mutual cooperation between the two countries, strengthening ties and exchanging experience in the fields of sports, tourism and sports pharmacology. The Kazakh Minister expressed hope for strengthening mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation. Also, during the me