First of all, I’d like to thank President Biden for his warm hospitality. It is a great pleasure to visit Camp David along with Prime Minister Kishida. Camp David is a site that bears historical significance where important diplomatic decisions were made at critical junctures of modern history. In order to respond to today’s unprecedented polycrisis, the strong ties between our three countries, which are the most advanced liberal democracies in the region and major economies leading advanced technology and scientific innovation, are more important than ever. From this moment on, Camp David wil
By Lee Kap-soo In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Korea-Pakistan diplomatic relations, the Pakistani Embassy in Korea held a "Rhythms of Pakistan" concert in collaboration with the National Museum of Korea on Aug. 11, 2023. Some 500 participants, including ambassadors, senior diplomats and staff members of foreign embassies in Korea, and general visitors to the National Museum of Korea, attended the music concert held at the museum in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. ▲ Ambassador Nabeel Munir of Pakistan to South Korea delivers welcoming remarks at the "Rhythms of Pakistan" con
By Lee Kap-soo President Yoon Suk-yeol held a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David, a U.S. presidential villa in Maryland, on Aug. 18 (local time). At the conference, President Yoon said, "Today, the three leaders of Korea have opened a new chapter in cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan." President Yoon said, "In addition to the regularization of the Korea-U.S.-Japan summit, officials from all three countries, including foreign ministers, defense ministers and national security advisers, will meet annually
By Lee Kap-soo On the occasion of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day in 2023, the government granted special pardons to 2,176 people, including scores of business tycoons and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises, special consideration prisoners. Among the beneficiaries are such conglomerate chairmen as Park Chan-koo, honorary chairman of Kumho Petrochemical Group; Lee Joong-keun, founder of Booyoung Group; and Chong Kun Dang Chairman Rhee Jang-han. The special pardons will legally take effect at the beginning of Aug. 15, the Liberation Day anniversary that commemorates the end of Japan's 1910-
By Lee Kap-soo The Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea (FOMEK) invited Mexican Ambassador to Korea Carlos Penafiel Soto to a meeting of mid-sized businesses held at the Plaza Hotel on Aug. 18 and discussed specific support measures to resolve difficulties and support successful entry of mid-sized companies into Mexico. More than 20 people attended the meeting, including Mexican Ambassador to Korea Carlos Penafiel Soto and senior officials from mid-sized companies such as SIMPAC, Yura Corporation, Infac, Shinsung Delta Tech, Kodako, and Lee Ho-joon, full-time vice chairman of the F
By Kim Ji-eun Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, who was on a visit to Zambia from August 10 to 11, met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanley Kasongo Kakubo on August 10. The two ministers discussed the Korea-Zambia relations, enhancing substantive cooperation, regional affairs, and cooperation in the international arena. Foreign Minister Park said that he was pleased to visit Zambia as the first Korean Foreign Minister to do so since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1990, following the invitation from Foreign Minister Kakubo during their phone c
By Lee Kap-soo Ashok Kumar Byanju Shrestha, Mayor of Dhulikhel Municipality of Nepal and Chandra Prakash Gharti, Mayor of Bheri Municipality of Nepal, visited Yangsan City in Gyeongsangnam-do on Aug. 15. International cultural exchanges between Yangsan City and Nepal are opening the door, starting with the two mayors' visits to Yangsan City Council, Tongdosa Temple, and Mitaam temple. On the same day, Nepal's mayors of Dulikel and Bheri and their party members kowtowed three times at the cave hall, which is sealed inside the Mita Cave, also known as Yangsan's Seokguram (Treasure No. 998). They
By Kim Ji-eun The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a launching ceremony for the 2023 Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Youth Mission on August 10 and appointed 26 university (graduate) students nationwide as youth envoys. Through the oath, the Youth Mission strengthened its determination to engage in activities in a sincere and responsible manner. Park Yong-min, a multilateral diplomatic coordinator, stressed in his encouraging speech that the role of young people is important for true peace considering future generations. Starting with a dialogue with the Secretary-General of the Comprehensiv
By Lee Kap-soo President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in Washington on Aug. 17 (local time) to attend a trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to strengthen security cooperation in the face of North Korea's nuclear threat. The summit will be held at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland on Aug. 18, marking the first time for the three leaders to meet for a trilateral summit. U.S. President Biden proposed the summit when the three leaders met on the margins of a Group of Seven summit in Japan in May as the U.S. pushes to lock in recently imp
By Kim Ji-eun The Korean government handed over emergency relief supplies to the Hawaii state government suffering from damage from the fires on Maui island on August 16. Consul-General of the Republic of Korea to Honolulu Lee Seo Young handed over the Korean government’s emergency relief items, including bottled water, food, blankets, and generators, to Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke at the Hawaii State Capitol in downtown Honolulu at 11:00 on August 16, local time. The fires on Maui island have left 106 people dead, the largest loss of life in Hawaii since it became the 50th state of the Un
By Lee Kap-soo Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), India’s first smart mobility solutions provider and the largest exporter since inception, signed an Asset Purchase Agreement (APA) on Aug. 16 for the acquisition and assignment of identified assets related to General Motors India (GMI)’s Talegaon Plant in Maharashtra. Unsoo Kim, Managing Director and CEO of Hyundai Motor India Ltd., and Asifhusen Khatri, Vice President Manufacturing of General Motors India and General Motors International Operations, participated in the signing ceremony in Gurugram, Haryana. The APA covers the acquisition and
By Kim Ji-eun Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, who is visiting Ethiopia from August 8 to 10, held a meeting with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen Hassen on August 8 and had a broad exchange of views on bilateral relations, strengthening practical cooperation, and ways to cooperate in the regional and international arenas. While celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the two ministers shared the view that the bilateral cooperation is strengthening in all fields, including development cooperation, economic cooperation and people-to-peop
By Lee Kap-soo My fellow Koreans, 7.5 million compatriots living abroad, Today we mark the 78th Liberation Day. I pay tribute to our fallen forebears and patriots who sacrificed and dedicated themselves for our independence. I also wish to express my deep gratitude to their families. Our independence movement was to build a nation that is free and democratic; a nation where the people are its rightful owners; and a nation where freedom, human rights and the rule of law reign supreme. It was not to just reclaim our sovereignty nor to return to monarchy. It was never an attempt to establish a co
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended the 78th Liberation Day celebration held at Ewha Womans University's auditorium in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on August 15. More than 2,000 people attended the ceremony, including patriots, independence fighters and bereaved families, major public officials and representatives from all walks of life, diplomatic corps in Korea, and citizens. The celebration was held under the theme of "Great People, Journey to Freedom," with the aim of moving toward greater freedom with great people who have made remarkable developments in v
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol invited key UNC (United Nations Command) officials to the President's office on August 10. This meeting was designed to sympathize with the UNC's commitment to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and to broaden its mutual understanding of its functions and roles. In particular, it was planned based on the judgment that the role of the UNC become more important than now and the President is responsible for national security at a time when North Korea's nuclear threat is escalating. "We appreciate the efforts UNC has made for peace and stability o