By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The multi-day visit of South Korean opera singer Lee Yeon-Seong to Belarus, organized by the Belarusian side, came to a close on July 14, 2025. For the first time in the history of the International Festival of Arts “Slavianskiy Bazaar in Vitebsk”, a performer from the Republic of Korea took the stage. At the Summer Amphitheater, Lee Yeon-Seong, together with young Belarusian talent Ivan Maltsev, performed a traditional song “The Golden Ray of Sunlight” (lyrics by Y. Entin, music by G. Gladkov), receiving warm applause from the audience. The South Korean guest’
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong was cleared of all charges related to the alleged “illegal succession,” including the unfair merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries and accounting fraud, on July 17, 2025. According to the business and legal communities, the prosecution charged Lee and others, stating, “As vice chairman of the Samsung Group at the time, Lee illegally interfered in the merger process between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries in 2015 to secure management succession and strengthen the group's control.” As a result, Lee
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korea Startup Forum (KOSFO) announced on July 17 that it successfully held the “KSF IR Day,” a practical IR program supporting promising domestic deep tech startups' entry into the European market, at the Aston Hall of the British Embassy in Korea on July 16. Through this event, which was held as a pre-program for COMEUP 2025, KOSPO established official exchange channels with the UK startup ecosystem, including the British Embassy in Korea and the UK Department for International Trade. A total of 77 teams of startups in cutting-edge technology fields such a
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Nowon-gu, Seoul held an event for foreign ambassadors at Surakhyu Natural Recreation Forest on July 15, the district office announced. The event was attended by 12 foreign ambassadors from countries that participated in Nowon-gu's craft beer festival and coffee festival, as well as Nowon-gu Mayor Oh Seung-rok and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. A Nowon-gu official explained, “The event was organized to provide external dignitaries with an opportunity to experience the facilities ahead of the official opening and to widely publicize the values and signific
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Choi Jin-shik, chairman of the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea (FOMEK), met with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing, who visited the federation on July 16, and stated that practical Korea-China economic cooperation must be urgently restored and strengthened in order to effectively respond to changes in the global economic environment. Choi said, “Although exchanges between the two countries have significantly decreased in recent years in all areas, including the economy, China, which is the largest trading partner and one of the top thr
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Seoul government officially announced on July 16 that South Korea had been selected as the host country for the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting scheduled to be held in July 2026. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong said in a briefing that day, “This decision is a result of the international community recognizing South Korea's leading role in the protection of world cultural heritage and international cultural cooperation.” This will be the first time that the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be held in South Korea. Spokesperson Kang empha
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Gyeonggi Province and Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan signed a joint declaration to mark the 35th anniversary of their friendship agreement. Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon met with Kanagawa Prefecture Governor Yuji Kuroiwa at the Provincial Office and agreed on a “Joint Declaration on Deepening Exchange and Cooperation” to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest between the two regions on July 16. According to Gyeonggi Province, this meeting was an official return visit by Kuroiwa, who was invited by Governor Kim Dong-yeon during his visit to
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, has been officially appointed as president of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF). Chung, who is also chairman of HDC Group, was unanimously appointed as EAFF president at the 6th EAFF Extraordinary General Meeting held at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Suwon on July 15. His term will last approximately eight months, until the next EAFF Regular General Assembly in March 2026. The EAFF hosts the EAFF E-1 Football Championship (East Asian Cup) every two to three years, with four national teams fr
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Jeju Peace Institute, successfully hosted the “2025 East Asia Cooperation Forum” in Seoul on July 15. This year marks the fourth iteration of the forum, which was themed “Future Cooperation in East Asia Amidst a Changing World.” Approximately 300 participants, including private-sector experts from major countries in the region, representatives from international organizations, diplomatic missions, and forum supporters, attended the event. The East Asia Cooperation Forum is a Track 2 forum aimed at diagnos
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-hosted a roundtable with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) on July 14 to promote and deepen discussions between the government and domestic experts in preparation for the 2025 World Emerging Security Forum (WESF), scheduled to be held on September 8, 2025. The World Emerging Security Forum has been organized annually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2021 to actively contribute to the international community’s efforts to address emerging security threats, bringing together experts from governm
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo President Lee Jae-myung sent invitation letters to the 20 leaders of APEC member countries to attend the APEC summit to be held in Gyeongju this year, the Presidential Office announced on July 15. Presidential Office spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing on the same day, “President Lee sent a letter on July 14 (Korea time) informing them that this year's APEC summit is scheduled to be held in Gyeongju, South Korea, from October 31 to November 1, and inviting the member countries to the summit.” Twenty-one countries, including South Korea, the United Stat
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Kim Ki-mun, chairman of Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ), met with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing, who visited the KBIZ in Yeouido, Seoul on July 14 and discussed ways to strengthen economic cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises in both countries. During the meeting, Kim Ki-mun said, “Since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration, relations between the two countries have changed positively, as evidenced by the telephone conversation between the leaders of South Korea and China.” Kim then mentioned the rapid increase in per
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Ryoo Dong-keun, president of Korea Maritime and Ocean University (KMOU), recently held a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador to Korea Anne Kari Hansen Ovind at the university headquarters in Dongsam-dong, Yeongdo-gu, Busan, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in education and research, the KMOU said on July 15. Norway is the world's fourth-largest shipowner and a leading nation in shipbuilding and marine technology, with some of the world's most advanced shipbuilding equipment technology. The two countries have been actively collaborating in the marine
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Ambassador Alisher Abdusalomov of Uzbekistan to South Korea visited the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Office on July 15 and discussed ways to expand exchanges and cooperation with Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum. Ambassador Abdusalomov said, “Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, the two countries have continued friendly cooperation in various fields, including politics, economy, and culture,” adding, “I hope that the cooperative relationship for mutual benefit and common prosperity will be further deepened.” In response, Governor Kim said, “The people
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream has been successfully inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, which has been held in Paris, France from July 6 to 16, 2025, made the final decision to inscribe the Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream on the World Heritage List on July 12, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Following its inscription on the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in 2010, the Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream has finally come to fruition after 15 years. With this inscripti