By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young In celebration of the founding month of 2024, the 30th Artwork Competition Exhibition of the Korea Cultural Center Association and the Korea Crafts and Skill Association will be held from Feb. 21 to 27 at Arisu Gallery in Insa-dong, Seoul. With the theme "Life in 2024," the exhibition highlights the activities of the Korean Cultural Center, which has been dedicated to a wide range of cultural and artistic education, including craft programs, for 25 years, and has been spreading both professional and artistic life crafts to the public. The works that fill and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young "The Pearl of the Orient - Sri Lanka" photo exhibition by professional photographer Park Dae-byung is being held from Feb. 21 to 27 at Maru Art Center 5 (2F) in Insa-dong, Seoul. Sri Lanka, a beautiful island nation in the Indian Ocean, faces the southeastern coast of the Indian Peninsula through the Palk Strait, and was formerly known as Ceylon. A former British colony, the country's economy is still heavily influenced by Europe, with breathtaking Mediterranean seascapes, ancient cities designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and a well-preserved traditio
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The 2nd Korea Fiber Art Association (President Kang Hae-woon) members' exhibition, which has been receiving a lot of attention for its fresh attempts in a new art genre, was held at the Lamer Gallery's 1st Exhibition Hall in Insa-dong from February 14 to 19. Established in 2021, the Korea Fiber Art Association is holding its second exhibition, where all the exhibited works are made of fabric, but artists use natural plant-based materials such as ink, fabric paints, and acrylics as pigments and create paintings. It is an exhibition of calligraphy artists, showing
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Incheon City Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok met with Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to Korea Aida Ismailova at the City Hall reception room on February 20, the Incheon Metropolitan City announced. This meeting was held at the request of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok met with Ambassador Aida Ismailova to express Incheon's determination to achieve the status of a world-class city and discuss ways to enhance exchanges between the two cities. In the past, Incheon has conducted medical treatments and local examinations for 55 children with heart disease fro
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol invited Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, and actor Lee Jung-jae, who will appear in "Squid Game 2," to the presidential residence for a luncheon on Feb. 17. Sarandos shared the progress since the announcement of Netflix's investment in Korea last year, and President Yoon expressed gratitude for Netflix's rapid and substantial investments, requesting continued investment in K-content. During his state visit to the United States on April 24 last year, Sarandos announced plans to invest KRW 3.33 trillion (USD 2.5 billion) in Korea over th
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young With a thousand-year history, Jingwansa Temple was built by King Hyunjong of Goryeo to repay the favor of Jingwanjosa, who saved his life before he ascended to the throne, and was a fundamental source of Suryuck ceremony during the Joseon Dynasty. 500 years ago, Jingwansa's doenjang (soybean paste) was so famous that it was served to the king. Today, Jingwansa Temple, a favorite of foreign dignitaries, is attracting attention as a training space for temple stays where foreign ambassadors' wives experience tea ceremony education through healing and experience.
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Gyeongju City has launched a supporters' group composed of foreign language-speaking public officials to focus on its bid for the 2025 APEC Summit. The city of Gyeongju held a launching ceremony for the "Gyeongju Love Global Public Officials Supporters Group" at the large conference room of Gyeongju City Hall on Feb. 16, the city announced on Feb. 18. The supporters' group is composed of 34 public officials from 22 departments who can speak English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish. Gyeongju City, which is focusing its administrative efforts on hosting
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young South Korea established diplomatic relations with Cuba on Feb. 14 in a surprise announcement that could pose a setback to North Korea that has long boasted brotherly ties with the Latin American country. In New York, the two countries' representatives to the United Nations exchanged diplomatic notes, marking the establishment of formal ties. Cuba is the 193rd country which South Korea has built diplomatic relations with. The announcement marked a culmination of Seoul's steadfast efforts to build a formal relationship with Cuba and expand its diplomatic footho
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Let's not be a soulless people on Feb. 14. Some people may know whether it is Valentine's Day, but how many people remember that Feb. 14 is the day when Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun, a hero of our country and the pride of our nation, was sentenced to death by the Japanese. But to hide that fact, Japan made it a day to exchange chocolates between lovers as a shallow gesture. It's a shameful and unbelievable story that they're trying to hide the memory of this day. February 14, the day a Korean hero was sentenced to death at the tender age of 31, s
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Let's not be a soulless people on Feb. 14. Some people may know whether it is Valentine's Day, but how many people remember that Feb. 14 is the day when Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun, a hero of our country and the pride of our nation, was sentenced to death by the Japanese. But to hide that fact, Japan made it a day to exchange chocolates between lovers as a shallow gesture. It's a shameful and unbelievable story that they're trying to hide the memory of this day. February 14, the day a Korean hero was sentenced to death at the tender age of 31, s
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol has labeled his wife Kim Keun-hee's luxury bag scandal as "political maneuvering" and emphasized that he will "take a firm line in the future." This is Yoon's first public statement on the controversy. In the 100-minute "Special Interview with the President," which aired on KBS on July 7, President Yoon said, “It's an operation because Choi, a Korean-American pastor, came with a watch and a hidden camera.” President Yoon said, "The fact that she was unable to cold-heartedly reject him was the problem, if one can call it a problem, and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon announced the 'Major Policy Promotion Plan for 2024' on June 6, which includes cultural folklore policies and strategies for K-culture's overseas expansion. The ministry selected this year's priority tasks with the vision of 'a happy society with culture and a global cultural powerhouse led by K-culture'. It aims to raise the national leisure satisfaction rate from 60.7 percent last year to 65 percent this year, and increase the revenue of the K-content industry from 150 trillion won in 2022 to 170 trillion
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Bucheon City Mayor Cho Yong-ik met with Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to South Korea Aida Ismailova, and agreed to find ways for mutual cooperation on Jan. 29. Bucheon City announced on Jan. 31 that Bucheon and Kyrgyz Republic have recently increased exchanges in the medical and economic fields. Soon Chun Hyang University Bucheon Hospital has been operating the Bishkek Imaging Consultation Center in Kyrgyzstan since 2022, and a local cosmetics company signed a contract to sell functional cosmetics to CIS member states, including Kyrgyzstan, in January thi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) announced on Feb. 1 that it will impose an eight-month business suspension on five construction companies, including GS E&C, in connection with the collapse of the underground parking lot of an apartment building in Geomdan New City in Incheon. Five companies, GS E&C, Dongbu Corp., Daebo E&C, Sangha Construction, and Asia General Construction, were given an eight-month business suspension. The suspension period is from April 1 to November 30. The suspended construction companies are prohi
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