By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Two months have passed since Korean university student Park (22) was kidnapped and murdered in Cambodia. Only after his death became known to the world did the government declare a “full-scale response.” But by then, Park had already returned as a cold corpse. And the people asked coldly. “Where the hell was the government?” Delayed cooperation, shifting blame, a life obscured by ‘procedures’. When the victim's family reported in late July that “my brother seems to be held captive,” police immediately confirmed his cell phone location was overseas. Yet, no im
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Once known as the ‘Smile of Angkor Wat,’ Cambodia is no longer a peaceful tourist destination. The recent case of Korean university student Park (22) being kidnapped, imprisoned, and murdered locally is a symbolic cross-section of this reality. His tragic death is not merely the misfortune of one individual, but reveals the true nature of a ‘country where crime has become an industry’. Cambodia has rapidly grown as a Southeast Asian tourism hub, but its underbelly is dark. An ‘invisible criminal market’—a tangled web of online scams, illegal gambling, human t
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held a South Korea-Japan summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Busan on September 30. The two leaders exchanged broad and in-depth views on ways to strengthen practical cooperation between South Korea and Japan and the necessity of cooperation at the regional and global levels. The two leaders welcomed the completion of shuttle diplomacy between the two countries, marked by Prime Minister Ishiba's visit to Busan just one month after President Lee's visit to Japan last month. They also expressed full agreement on
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in New York on September 24 (local time), who was attending the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly. Prime Minister Meloni stated that the two countries have been developing balanced cooperative relations across various fields, including trade and investment. She assessed that the potential for expanding economic cooperation between the two nations is very high, as demonstrated by events such as the successful Korea-Italy Business Forum held in Seoul
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24. He stated, "While the US and Japan recently reached an agreement on an 'Investment Package with the US,' Korea differs significantly from Japan in terms of economic scale, foreign exchange market, and infrastructure. I hope these aspects will be taken into consideration and that negotiations will proceed smoothly." Kim Yong-beom, Chief of Staff to the President for Policy, announced this during a briefing at a press cen
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first bilateral meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was attending the 80th UN General Assembly High-Level Session in New York on September 24 (local time). The two leaders commended the steady development of bilateral relations in various areas, including political affairs, economics, and people-to-people exchanges, since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1989. In particular, they shared the view that bilateral trade has recently grown steadily, and that substantive cooperation is expanding, with Korean com
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with Mongolian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development Nyam-Osor Uchral at the Government Complex Seoul on September 23. The two leaders exchanged views on strengthening Korea-Mongolia relations and cooperation. Prime Minister Kim welcomed the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Uchral and the Mongolian delegation to Korea, which marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Mongolia. He expressed appreciation for the deep understanding between the two countries and the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sept. 23 and asked for the U.N.'s support for South Korea's initiative to achieve North Korea's denuclearization through dialogue, the Presidential office said. Their meeting took place after President Lee declared at the UN that "South Korea will fulfill its responsibility and role to end the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula and contribute to global peace and prosperity through the 'E (Exchange), N (Normalization), and D (Denuclearization) Initiative." President Lee stated, “Peace an
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung, currently in the United States to attend the UN General Assembly, met with BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink, Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) Chairman Adebayo Ogunlesi, and former World Bank President Kim Yong as his first stop on the agenda on September 22 (local time). The meeting focused on three major transformations facing humanity: artificial intelligence, energy transition, and demographic change. They also confirmed a shared understanding for strategic cooperation between Korea and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung declared in his keynote address at the UN that "South Korea will fulfill its responsibility and role to end the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula and contribute to global peace and prosperity through the 'E (Exchange), N (Normalization), and D (Denuclearization) Initiative." President Lee made these remarks in his keynote address at UN Headquarters in New York on September 23 (local time), stating, "We must end the era of hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula through comprehensive dialogue centered on the 'END' initiative
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with Professor Michael Sandel of Harvard University, author of “"Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?" in his office on September 18. President Lee, who had previously engaged in a video discussion with Professor Sandel on ‘Justice and Fairness’ during his 2021 presidential campaign, met with him again after about four years to exchange views on ‘Democracy and Peaceful Coexistence’. President Lee emphasized that Professor Sandel's concepts of a just society and peace dividends hold particular significance for the Korean people, n
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Following a meeting in Gangwon Province on September 12, President Lee Jae-myung visited frontline troops to inspect the military's readiness posture and encourage the soldiers. President Lee visited the Chilsung Observation Post of the Army's 7th Infantry Division in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province. There, he surveyed the area near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and guard posts (GP) while receiving a briefing on the military's readiness posture. He also toured the construction site for state-of-the-art barracks. Expressing hope that soldiers would be able to
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung said on September 11, “In keeping with my promise to become a ‘President for All’ who embraces and serves every citizen, I will move forward with politics and administration of unity.” During a press conference marking his 100th day in office held at the Blue House State Guest House, President Lee pledged, “From today until the final day of my term, I will devote myself entirely to building a ‘nation where the people are the masters, a Republic of Korea where we are all happy together.’” President Lee reflected, “It has already been 10
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first phone call with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on September 4, following his inauguration. President Lee expressed his gratitude for the Mongolian President's congratulatory message upon his inauguration and for once again extending congratulations during this call. The two leaders assessed that cooperation across all fields between the two countries has significantly developed over the past 35 years since establishing diplomatic relations in 1990. They agreed to further deepen and develop the ‘strategic partnersh
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Folk painting is a traditional art form embodying the Korean people's aesthetic sensibility and spirit of daily life. It fills the murals of ancient palaces and the folding screens of folk museums, and today, 200,000 folk painters wield their brushes. Yet, folk painting is nowhere to be found in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's (MCST) Cultural Arts Promotion Act. While crafts are included, and even ‘comics’ are covered, folk painting doesn't even have a name in the legal framework. Is this truly normal? The MCST proclaims the globalization of K-C