Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The South Korea-U.S. summit will be held on August 25. The Presidential Office announced on Aug. 12, "President Lee Jae-myung will visit the U.S. from Aug. 24 to 26 at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump for the summit." If the summit is held on Aug. 25, President Lee will meet President Trump for the first time in 82 days since taking office. President Lee plans to hold a summit with President Trump and a working lunch. When asked whether President Lee's visit to the U.S. constitutes a state visit, the Presidential Office spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung stat
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary Jerry Pillay and a delegation from the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) in his office on Aug. 11, 2025. This meeting commemorated the long history of solidarity between the WCC and the Korean church and discussed future directions for exchange and cooperation. From the WCC, General Secretary Jerry Pillay and International Director Peter Prove attended. From the National Council of Churches in Korea, General Secretary Kim Jong-saeng and President Cho Sung-am attended
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of Ecuador in Korea held the Ecuadorian National Day reception on Aug. 8, 2025, marking the anniversary of the First Call for Independence, which occurred on August 10, 1809, a historic milestone that contributed to the formation of the Ecuadorian nation. Delivering a speech at the reception held at the Hotel Shilla in Seoul, Ambassador Patricio Esteban Troya Suárez of Ecuador to South Korea said, “Korea and Ecuador have maintained a strong relationship of friendship and cooperation that began in 1950 during the Korean War and was formalized on Octo
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo President Lee Jae-myung held a summit with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, the top official in the Vietnamese government, at the Presidential Office in Yongsan on Aug. 11, 2025. The two leaders adopted the "Joint Statement on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between South Korea and Vietnam," which aims to foster future-oriented cooperation between the two countries. This marks the first visit by a Vietnamese leader to South Korea in 11 years, since 2014, and the first foreign guest and state guest since the new admi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Daejeon Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a luncheon meeting with local businesspeople on Aug. 8 at the Yuseong Hotel Intercity, inviting Uzbek Ambassador to Korea Alisher Abdusalomov. The meeting began with a video introducing the investment environment between the Daejeon Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Uzbekistan, followed by a free discussion on cooperation opportunities between companies from both countries. In particular, discussions focused on potential cooperation in areas such as satellite production and services, water purification proj
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Chungnam Culture and Tourism Foundation (CCTF) will partner with the Slovak Embassy in Korea to expand cultural and tourism exchanges. The foundation held a "Cultural and Tourism Exchange and Cooperation Declaration Ceremony" with Slovak Ambassador to Korea Marek Repovsk at the Chungnam Culture and Arts Seoul Exhibition Center (CN Gallery) in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Aug. 7. This declaration, based on the strategic partnership and mutual respect between the two countries, aims to ▲encourage cultural and artistic exchanges, ▲support the development of convergent cu
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Hyundai Motor Company and General Motors announced plans for their first five co-developed vehicles on Aug. 6, marking a significant milestone in their previously announced strategic collaboration. The two companies will co-develop four vehicles for the Central and South American market, including a compact SUV, car and pick-up, as well as a mid-size pick-up, all with the flexibility to use either internal combustion or hybrid propulsion systems. Hyundai and GM also will co-develop an electric commercial van for North America. Hyundai and GM expect sales of the
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon met with Michael Kratsios, head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), to discuss cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) technology and infrastructure on Aug. 5. The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced that Minister Bae and Kratsios held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting. During the meeting, the two sides shared their respective AI policies. The US presented its AI Action Plan, while South Korea
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Korean Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (TA) with Anduril, a US defense company, to establish partnerships in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sector in Korea and the Asia-Pacific region. The signing ceremony took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Key officials from both companies, including Lim Jin-gyu, head of Korean Air's Aerospace Division, and Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril, attended the event. Anduril signed partnerships with major Korean defense companies at the official launch of its Korean branch, hosted by the US Dep
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Marcin Kosiniak-Kamysz of Poland in Gliwice, Poland, on Aug. 1 (local time), and discussed in-depth ways to strengthen defense and arms industry cooperation between the two countries. Minister Ahn stated, "I find it meaningful to visit Poland as my first overseas visit since taking office. Poland is a strategic partner of the Republic of Korea, and I highly value the ongoing cooperation between our two countries in various industries, including the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Gyeongju City, North Gyeongsang Province, hosted a meeting with David Roden, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Investment Promotion Ambassador, in the External Relations Office of City Hall on Aug. 6, 2025. The meeting was organized to expand global investment and strengthen the Korea-US business network, the city announced. The event was attended by Gyeongju City Vice Mayor Song Ho-jun, Director of the Corporate Investment Support Division Son Dae-gi, and officials from the Gyeongsangbuk-do Investment Promotion Team. Vice Mayor Song stated, "I express my gratitude to Ambas
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Ambassador Amit Kumar of India to Korea visited Gimhae City and had lunch with Gimhae Mayor Hong Tae-yong, reaffirming the special bond between Gimhae and India. Ambassador Amit Kumar expressed his affection for Gimhae, which he considers his hometown, and expressed his commitment to further revitalizing exchanges between the two countries. Mayor Hong expressed his gratitude for Ambassador Amit Kumar's deep interest in Gimhae and the various cooperative projects he has pursued during his term. Ambassador Amit Kumar also expressed his special affection, describi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam will make a four-day, three-night state visit to South Korea starting on Aug. 10. This will be the first visit by a foreign leader to South Korea since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration. Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung announced on Aug. 7, "Through the summit and state dinner on Aug. 11, President Lee plans to hold in-depth discussions with General Secretary Lam on politics, security, trade, and investment, as well as future strategic areas such as national i
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The 28th World Peace Art Exhibition Awards Ceremony was held at the Korea Gallery in Insa-dong, Seoul on August 6, 2025. About 620 artists from 21 countries participated in the event, submitting approximately 1,200 works. About 800 of these works were exhibited. The ceremony concluded successfully with approximately 200 distinguished guests in attendance. Attendees at the ceremony included Nurgali Arystanov, Ambassador of the Embassy of Kazakhstan, Fazliddin Arziev, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of Uzbekistan, Consul Eugene Redko of the Embassy of Belarus, a
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Chairwoman Youn Young-mi of the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) met with Ambassador Nurgali Arystanov of Kazakhstan to Korea on July 31 and discussed ways to expand trade and practical cooperation between the two countries. Ambassador Arystanov expressed his commitment to a stable supply of Kazakhstan-produced wheat to the Korean market as a global wheat producer. He also expressed his hopes for the supply of various products, including agricultural and livestock products, mineral resources, meat, and honey, to the Korean market. Chairwoman Youn stated that t