Diplomacy Journal Jon Lee | North Korea fired a large number of short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the East Sea on May 30, it was confirmed. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said, “At around 6:14 a.m. on May 30, we captured about 10 suspected short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) fired into the East Sea from the Sunan area of Pyongyang, North Korea.” North Korea has a history of ballistic missile provocations, including test launches, but this is unusual. The missiles traveled more than 350 kilometers before landing in the East Sea. Based on the distance, it is believed to be an intermediat
Diplomacy Journal Jon Lee | The 11th Kia Skill World Cup has taken place at Kia Osan Training Center and JW Marriott Hotel Seoul in Korea. Held between May 21-23, the competition marked the first offline event after the pandemic since 2018, gathering 42 national winners from 40 countries to compete in the finals. The Kia Skill World Cup is a celebrated global mobility engineering competition for Kia technicians. First hosted in 2002, the competition highlights outstanding technical experts from around the world and enhances the brand’s customer service capabilities. The 42 national winners com
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
Diplomacy Journal 이존영 기자 | 영문 외교저널 5월호 발간 책자 JPG로 전체보기
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol received former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and exchanged views on the direction of the U.S.-ROK alliance on May 22. The President praised former Speaker McCarthy for his longstanding commitment to legislative activities as a key figure in the U.S. Congress, and for rallying the will of the U.S. Congress for the development of U.S.-ROK relations and peace and prosperity in the region. In particular, the President thanked former Speaker McCarthy for his unwavering support for the U.S.-ROK alliance through an off
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended the “Children Drawing Hope: Ukrainian Children's Art Exhibition' at the Blue House on May 21. The exhibition was initiated by Mrs. Olena Zelenska, who visited South Korea in May last year as a special envoy of the President of Ukraine, when she met with Mrs. Kim at the Yongsan Presidential Office and asked for support for the Ukrainians. Two months later, in July, Mrs. Kim was so impressed by Ukrainian children's artwork at the NATO Heads of State Spouses Program at the Lithuanian Ukraine Center that she promised to organize a
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Artist Joo Eun-young's note | Sometimes, we need a gesture to comfort us and give us delight and courage to look ahead. When I suddenly lifted my head up from my slumped position one day, the leaves hanging from the high branches against the blue sky, swaying gently, were like a vision waving to me. When we raise our hands and wave, when we raise our arms and wave, when we face each other and wave vigorously, and when we laugh together like that, the souls that have been withered by the desire that pierces each other and the conflict that spreads like a fungu
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young | President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal exchanged congratulatory letters on May 15, 2024, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Nepal. The Republic of Korea and Nepal forged diplomatic relations on May 15, 1974. In his letter, President Yoon extended his heartfelt congratulations and friendly greetings to the Prime Minister and the people of Nepal on behalf of the government and the people of the Republic of Korea in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic
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 By Artist Kim Sona As an alternative medical student, I remember being terrified when I entered the anatomy lab for the first time. In contrast to my trembling heart, I was greeted by a picture of the blue and clean landscape of Santorini on the wall of the anatomy room. My mind immediately relaxed, as if I were in one of the places in Santorini. So I was able to study the human body in a more relaxed state of mind while looking at cadavar. The painting I am trying to paint is the kind of painting that makes you feel relaxed just by looking at it. Regardless
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young | President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with Angolan President João Lourenço to exchange views on ways to promote practical cooperation between the two countries and the regional and international situation on April 30. The two leaders noted that friendly and cooperative ties have been steadily developing since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, and noted that recent high-level exchanges at all levels, including a phone call between the leaders last November, have further enhanced bilateral relations. President Yoon expressed his appr
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 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,