By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol's “sales diplomacy” played a key role in South Korea's $17.3 billion winning bid for new nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic on July 17, beating out France, according to market analysts. The Czech government has picked Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) as preferred bidder to build two nuclear reactors, marking South Korea's first overseas order for a large-scale nuclear power project since 2009. The three summits he held with the President of Czech Republic after taking office and his request for cooperation were said to ha
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg on July 11 and exchanged views on major international issues and Korea-NATO cooperation. The President noted that the partnership between South Korea and NATO has progressed by leaps and bounds during Stoltenberg's tenure (2014-2024), including the establishment of the NATO-ROK Individualized Tailored Partnership Program (ITPP), and expressed his appreciation for the Secretary General's contributions to the development of the NATO-ROK relations
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in Washington, D.C., for the NATO Summit, attended the NATO Indo-Pacific Partners (IP4) (South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand) Summit on July 11. Hosted by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, this is the third IP4 Summit, following the 2022 and 2023 meetings, and was joined by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. The leaders recognized the close cooperation among the four countries, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, which share common values
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden adopted a "Joint Statement on Guidelines for Nuclear Operations for Nuclear Deterrence on the Korean Peninsula" during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 11 (local time). "The two leaders reaffirmed that any North Korean nuclear attack on the Republic of Korea will be met with an immediate, overwhelming and decisive response," Kim Tae-hyo, deputy director of the National Security Office, said in a briefin
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young "Mercy in the heart, peace in the world!" This is the theme of the 2019 Buddha’s birthday celebration in the year of the Buddha, 2563! However, in recent years, we have witnessed many conflicts and instability around the world. Conflicts between nations, racial tensions, mistrust in politics, economic inequality, and many other issues have disrupted our daily lives. In the midst of this turmoil, the values of peace and mercy are more important than ever. The need for peace Conflict around the world is not just a localized problem. The modern world is globaliz
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii on July 9. This is the first time a Korean president has visited the command, with former President Kim Young-sam having visited the Pacific Command in 1995. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has the largest area of responsibility (approximately 100 million square miles, or 52 percent of the Earth's total area) among the six U.S. unified combatant commands (Northern, Southern, Indo-Pacific, European, Central, and African) and plays a critical role in the security of the Korean Peninsula, incl
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee visited the Pacific National Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 8. The cemetery was established in 1949 and is home to veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Upon arriving at the cemetery, the President and First Lady were led by James Horton, Director of the Pacific National Cemetery, to lay a wreath and honor the U.S. veterans interred at the cemetery. After laying a wreath, they greeted and thanked the six Korean War veterans in attendance. The President and First Lady then visi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Director Han Myung-ku questions the movie industry and society with his unique perspective on social issues. His next movie, 'Geojedo POW Camp,' is in full production as the set site has been finalized. Han, who won the Best Director award at the Indian International Film Festival for his film "The Silence of One’s Lover," will direct "Geojedo POW Camp," a dramatic film with a total budget of 75 billion won, which is scheduled for release in 2025. The executive producer will be Kim In-sik, chairman of the steering committee of the Korea Association of Film Pr
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By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol received Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is on an official visit to South Korea, on July 2 and exchanged views on ways to further develop bilateral relations. President Yoon expressed his hope that trade and investment will be further boosted by continuing to strengthen institutional cooperation, including simplifying customs clearance between the two countries, and that the transfer of Korean retired warships and retired patrol boats and defense cooperation will proceed smoothly to strengthen strategic cooperation in th
Diplomacy Journal Jon Lee | Police chiefs and government leaders convened at UN Headquarters on June 27 for the opening session of UNCOPS 2024, the UN News reported. The summit, themed Advancing our Common Security: UN Policing for a New Era, began with a video highlighting the UN Police’s (UNPOL) mission to promote security, protect human rights, and support Member States. UNPOL’s true mission is to “enhance international peace and security by supporting Member States in conflict, post-conflict and other crisis situations”, all while standing at the forefront of preventing and addressing inte
Diplomacy Journal Jon Lee | The UN Secretary-General on June 21 voiced profound concern over escalating violence and “bellicose rhetoric” between Israel and Hezbollah militants across the frontier with Lebanon, warning that one false move could trigger a catastrophe for the whole region and beyond, the UN News reported. The situation along the Blue Line, the demarcation between Israeli and Lebanese armed forces, has been deteriorating since Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip following the brutal 7 October attack by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups against communities in th
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier docked at the Busan Naval Operations Base on June 25. This is the third time a sitting president has boarded a U.S. aircraft carrier, following former Presidents Park Chung-hee in 1974 and Kim Young-sam in 1994. The Roosevelt aircraft carrier's visit to South Korea is a step toward implementing the Washington Declaration, adopted by the leaders of the United States and South Korea in April last year, and symbolizes the United States' ironclad defense commitment to South Korea, includi
Diplomacy Journal Jon Lee | The First Lady of South Korea Kim Keon-hee met with the First Lady of Uzbekistan, Mrs. Ziroat Mirziyoyeva, at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace on June 14, and attended a traditional Uzbek cultural event organized by Mrs. Mirziyoyeva herself. Mrs. Mirziyoyeva's second daughter, Shahnoza Mirziyoyeva, First Deputy Head of the Social Security Agency, who has lived in Korea for over six years and has a special connection to the country, also made a surprise appearance at the event to welcome Mrs. Kim. Mrs. Kim first expressed her gratitude to Mrs. Mirziyoyeva, saying tha
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart K. Tokayev on June 12 (local time) and signed 37 memorandums of understanding (MOUs), including supply chain cooperation. The MOUs laid the institutional foundation for strengthening bilateral cooperation on key minerals such as uranium, chromium, titanium, and bismuth, including lithium, a core material for batteries, from joint exploration to end-use. Yoon arrived in Kazakhstan the night before and held a meeting with compatriots before holding a summit at the Akorda Presidentia