By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The 2025 Diplomatic and Reunification K-Folk Painting Contest, featuring works that reinterpret symbols and motifs from traditional folk paintings with modern colors and designs, was held at the Korea Art Museum in Insa-dong, Seoul, organized by the monthly K-Folk Painting and the Korea Masters Association. The exhibition is on display until March 17, and has attracted great interest and response due to the high quality of the works submitted. The contest was organized under the theme of 'K-Folk Paintings, Coloring the Global Community' to showcase the beauty of
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Seoul Foreign Resident Center, established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and managed by the non-profit Migrant Center Friends, will join hands with the Embassy of Mongolia to strengthen support for Mongolians living in Seoul. The Seoul Foreign Resident Center signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Embassy of Mongolia in Korea on March 10 to share information and hold educational and cultural events to support the stable stay of Mongolians in Korea and improve their quality of life. Under the agreement, the center will expand its Mongolian
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul hosted an Iftar Dinner to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, inviting various guests from the business, academic, media, and cultural communities, including diplomatic corps of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries on March 11. Iftar, which means “break fast,” refers to the first meal after sunset at the end of the daily fast during Ramadan, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been organizing Iftar events since 2004 to promote mutual friendship and cooperation with the Islamic world. Speaking at t
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hong Kyun held a working luncheon with the European Union (EU) Ambassadors to Korea on Feb. 28. As this year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between Korea and the EU, Vice Minister Kim stressed that Korea and the EU are seeking joint responses to global security challenges by adopting the ROK-EU Security and Defense Partnership last year, while also expanding cooperation across various fields, including advanced technology, the defense industry, and energy. He also voiced expectatio
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with Emmanuel Bonne, Head of the Foreign Affairs Office of the French Presidential Office, in Paris, France, and held the Fifth Korea-France Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot on March 7. During the meeting, Minister Cho exchanged views on ▲ recent domestic developments, ▲ high-level exchanges between Korea and France, ▲ trends in strengthening security in Europe and France's contribution after the new U.S. administration, ▲ France's role and contribution to the 2026 chairmanship of
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held a dinner meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand Winston Peters on Feb. 28. The two ministers engaged in substantive discussions on the elevation of Korea-New Zealand relations, high-level exchanges, and practical cooperation in areas such as the economy, defense and space, as well as developments on the Korean Peninsula and key regional issues. Minister Cho welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Peters’ visit to the Republic of Korea following the one in July last year. Both sides exp
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee While attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul attended the 27th MIKTA (A grouping of Mexico, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Turkey and Australia)Foreign Ministers' Meeting on February 20 (local time), where he exchanged views with representatives of MIKTA member countries on how to cooperate with MIKTA in the current global situation, and introduced the direction of Korea's activities and priorities as the chair of MIKTA for the next one year. Minister Cho emphasized that amidst the escalating geopol
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, who is attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (Feb. 20-21, Johannesburg, South Africa), held bilateral meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy to exchange views on bilateral cooperation, cooperation on the international stage, and regional and international affairs on Feb. 20. During the meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Wong, Minister Cho evaluated the 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' (upgraded in December in 2021), which has been strengthened through continuou
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Twenty-six K-folk painting artists shared the beauty of traditional Korean folk paintings with the world at the Leonardo da Vinci Art Gallery invitational exhibition in Milano, Italy, from Feb. to 10. The exhibition was a great success, as the works that combine the originality of K-folk paintings with modern sensibilities attracted the attention of European art lovers. The K-folk painting artists invited to the exhibition presented works based on traditional folk painting techniques with a modern sense, proving the globalization potential of Korean folk painting
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee We interviewed Lee Mi-hyung, director of the K Folk Painting Research Center, to learn more about the value of K Folk Painting and its future prospects. We talked about how K-Folk Painting, which bridges tradition and modernity, is developing and its potential to spread globally. --Ed. Question: How is K-Folk Painting different from traditional folk painting? Answer: K-folk painting is a modernized version of traditional Korean folk painting. While traditional folk paintings are paintings that were naturally formed in the lives of common people during the Joseon
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The '2025 44th New Year Leadership Development Highest Course for Culture and Arts' hosted by the Korea Paper Culture Foundation-World Jongie Jupgi Organization (Chairwoman Rho Young-hye) was held at the Jongie Nara Museum in Jangchung-dong, Seoul on Feb. 10. The event was attended by more than 100 participants, including foundation executives, education directors, branch directors, and specially registered instructors for leadership training, who shared their vision for the globalization of Korea Jongie Jupgi (Paper folding). Delivering welcome speech, Chairwoma
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Diplomacy Journal, founded in 1996, is celebrating its 28th anniversary. Over the past 28 years, Diplomacy Journal has been at the forefront of documenting the flow of international diplomacy and promoting cooperation and cultural exchanges between countries, and now aims to further develop as a global diplomatic journal. Over the years, Diplomacy Journal has provided readers with insightful information through in-depth coverage of a variety of topics, including interviews with foreign ambassadors, international foreign policy analysis, economic trends, and cultu
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met in Munich on February 15 to reaffirm the unwavering trilateral partnership between the United States, South Korea, and Japan. They underscored their shared commitment to the safety, security, and prosperity of the three countries and the Indo-Pacific region. They pledged to take decisive steps to counter threats, strengthen economic resilience, and advance common interests. Strengthening Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation The three mi
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Speaker Choi Ho-jeong of Seoul Metropolitan Council visited the Evergreen Tree Welfare Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Korea, with Irish Ambassador to Korea Michelle Winthrop on Feb. 12. The welfare center, which is operated by the social welfare corporation St. John of God Brothers, is a self-supporting facility that provides comprehensive services for people with developmental disabilities to live independently as members of the community, and is operated under the guidance of the Ireland-based Hospitaller Order of St. John of God. The visit was organized by Ambas
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee "Members of the Ambassadors' Spouses Association in Seoul (ASAS) participated in a Korean temple food experience program at the Korean Temple Food and Culture Experience Center in Anguk-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the occasion of the Jeongwol Daeboreum (the day of the first full moon of the lunar year)," said Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism. Twenty-one ambassadors' spouses from 17 countries, including the United States, Australia, Bolivia, Hungary, and Japan, cooked and tasted Korean Jeongwol Daeboreum foods such as tricolor herbs and five-grain rice. At the eve