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,
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit on April 23 with Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis, who is on an official visit to South Korea, and exchanged a wide range of views on ways to promote practical cooperation between the two countries, as well as regional and international developments. On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the ROK-Romania Strategic Partnership last year, the two leaders recognized that the bilateral relationship is deepening in many aspects and adopted the Joint Statement on Strengthening the ROK-Romania St
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young The Organizing Committee of the World Peace Art Exhibition (Chairman Lee Jon-young) held a ceremony for donation of artworks to Daegu Prison in the presence of Daegu Correctional Service Commissioner Kim Dong-hyun, Daegu Prison Warden Han Tae-hwan, Prof. Lee Mi-hyoung of the Department of Cultural Content, the Institute for Adult & Continuing Education of Myongji University, and KS Gallery representative Kang Seok-won on April 19. The donation ceremony was held to commemorate the opening of the relocated Daegu Prison, where Lee Jon-young, chairman of the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol received Evan Greenberg, Chairman of the U.S.-Korea Business Council on April 18. President Yoon noted that Mr. Greenberg's father, former AIG Chairman Maurice Greenberg, has a strong connection to Korea, having fought in the Korean War and served as the fourth chairman of the U.S.-Korea Business Council from 2003 to 2005, and expressed his gratitude for Chairman Greenberg's contributions to the advancement of U.S.-Korea relations. The President also emphasized that the support and contributions of the business community in both countr
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Goyang Special City Mayor Lee Dong-hwan, who is visiting Vietnam, signed business agreements with the Vietnam Agricultural Trade Promotion Center and the Mekong Research Institute for Science, Technology, Education and Application on April 15, and visited the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC) and the Vin University to solidify cooperation. "I hope that we can establish a win-win cooperation system that will open up opportunities for Goyang companies to enter Vietnam in the future, and for Vietnamese companies to establish themselves in the free economi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young "The priority of the national government is people's lives," President Yoon Suk-yeol said at his first meeting with Prime Minister Han Deok-soo after the general election on April 15, adding, "Let's do our best to stabilize people's lives." Yoon also asked the prime minister to "review the working atmosphere of the civil service and the discipline of the civil service in order to stabilize people's lives," according to his spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung. Yoon had also issued a message emphasizing "civil stability" on April 11, the day after the general election.