By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Jeju Province Governor Oh Young-hoon met with ambassadors from nine countries, including those in Africa, Europe, and the Philippines, prior to attending the opening ceremony of the 12th International e-Mobility Expo held at Jeju Shinhwa World on July 9, the province said. During the meeting with the ambassadors, various areas of cooperation were discussed, including electric vehicles, renewable energy, the circular economy, and smart grids. The province reported that the African ambassadors to South Korea expressed a common interest in the green hydrogen secto
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation officially launched their industrial wearable robot, the X-ble Shoulder, in the Korean market with a handover ceremony for the first unit to Korean Air on July 8. The event was held at Korean Air’s aircraft maintenance hangar in Incheon. As the first official customer, Korean Air will deploy the wearable robot across its aerospace division, including assembly and maintenance operations for commercial airliners, military aircraft, urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles, drones, stealth aircraft and satellite launch systems. “
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Korea need to speed up cooperation in the sector of critical minerals, in addition to the diplomatic and political field,” said Ambassador of the DRC to Korea Atoki Ileka on July 9. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal held at the Embassy of DRC in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Ambassador Atoki Ileka said, “South Korea emphasized expanding trade and investment in Africa, particularly focusing on critical minerals at the recent Korea-Africa Summit in June 2024. To that effect, a Korea-Africa Cr
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo A remarkable cultural milestone has been achieved with the Korean translation of «The Days Gone By» (O‘tkan kunlar), the iconic novel by Uzbek literary pioneer Abdulla Qodiriy. The man behind this endeavor is Professor Kim Tschung Sun of Keimyung University, who spent more than two years translating the novel — not only with scholarly precision but also with a deep emotional connection to its world. From March 2023 to May 2025, Professor Kim immersed himself in the world of Qodiriy’s characters — their passions, struggles, and the historical backdrop of early 2
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac said in a briefing on July 9 that he held consultations with U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio at the White House on July 7 (local time) and had in-depth discussions on ways to strengthen the alliance, including major issues facing the two countries and high-level exchanges. This meeting took place shortly after US President Donald Trump announced in a letter that he would impose mutual tariffs on 14 countries, including South Korea, drawing attention to the serious discussions between the tw
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Hamyang County in Gyeongsangnam-do province hosted an international exchange event with Ethiopian Ambassador to South Korea Dessie Dalkie Dukamo and his entourage on July 8, 2025. This visit was arranged in anticipation of the upcoming overseas experience trip to Ethiopia by Geumban Elementary School students in November. The ambassador and his delegation attended the “Glocal Connection Day” event at Geumban Elementary School, participating in lectures, traditional coffee ceremonies, and a commemorative tree-planting ceremony. The ambassador's lecture, themed “
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo SK Group announced its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to expand cloud infrastructure in South Korea on June 22. SK Group, in partnership with AWS, will build a data center in Ulsan, South Korea for a new AWS AI Zone that will help organizations in South Korea build innovative and new AI applications locally while leveraging the full breadth of AWS capabilities. The AI Zone will bring together multiple innovative capabilities, including dedicated AWS AI infrastructure and servers with world-class semiconductors, UltraCluster networks for faster AI tr
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Pohang City Mayor Lee Kang-deok met with Italian Ambassador to South Korea Emilia Gatto on July 4 to discuss exchange and cooperation plans between cities in the two countries, the city announced. The meeting was held at the ambassador's residence following an official invitation from the Italian Embassy in South Korea. Ambassador Gatto attended the “2025 Pohang International Light Festival” held from June 20 to 22. During the meeting, she expressed her gratitude for the enthusiastic participation and warm hospitality of the citizens of Pohang, introduced major
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac, who is visiting the United States, held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C. on July 7 (local time) to discuss current issues in South Korea-U.S. relations, the Presidential Office announced. At the meeting, South Korea emphasized the need for the two countries to consult on current issues between them and develop their alliance further based on the spirit of alliance, and expressed its hope that the South Korean and U.S. national security advisors would work
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Lee Dong-hwan, mayor of Goyang Special City, visited the concert venue of global K-pop star Blackpink and reaffirmed the willingness of South Korea and the UK to cooperate in responding to the climate crisis. According to the city on July 7, Mayor Lee visited the site of Blackpink's World Tour “BORN PINK” finale concert held at Goyang Sports Complex on July 6 and visited the climate crisis response promotional booth operated by the British Embassy in Korea. At the event, he met with Colin Crooks, British Ambassador to Korea, and exchanged opinions on climate po
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo On the occasion of the 214th anniversary of Venezuela's Independence Day, which falls on July 5, 1811, the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the Republic of Korea held an event to encounter with Venezuelan nationals in Seoul in the Venezuelan Official Residence in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul on July 5. Delivering an address, Isabel Di Carlo Quero, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Venezuela in Seoul said, “Today is a day that unites Venezuelans in a national sentiment, because many generations after 214 years value the heroic deeds of our indepen
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo HS Hyosung Advanced Materials signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with TATA Steel Thailand for the long-term purchase of sustainable steel raw materials on June 18, the company said. Through this MOU, HS Hyosung Advanced Materials will be able to secure a stable supply of sustainable steel raw materials used in tire steel cords. TATA STEEL Thailand, a subsidiary of India’s leading Tata Group, produces high-quality steel raw materials using the electric arc furnace (EAF) method. EAF-based products recycle scrap metal and are highly energy-efficient, resul
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Acting Mayor Kim Jung-ki of Daegu City met with Finnish Ambassador to South Korea Jyri Järviaho at Daegu City Hall on July 2, the city announced. According to Daegu City, Jyri Järviaho, the Finnish Ambassador, expressed gratitude during the meeting with Acting Mayor Kim, saying, “Thank you for inviting me to the Daegu Chicken and Beer Festival, which represents Daegu City.” He added, “I am pleased to have the opportunity to learn about Daegu's industry and culture through this visit.” In response, Acting Mayor Kim said, “Thank you for your interest in the Daegu
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Kim Dong-yeon, governor of Gyeonggi Province, met with Mizushima Koichi, Japanese Ambassador to Korea, at the provincial office on July 2 to discuss cooperation between the two countries in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. During the meeting, Governor Kim said, "Although Korea-Japan relations have gone through many ups and downs over the years, the two countries are still close neighbors. I am pleased that South Korea-Japan relations have developed into a very good relationship recently.
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Finnish Ambassador to South Korea Jyri Järviaho visited Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) on July 2. The visit was arranged to discuss ways to expand exchanges and practical cooperation in the fields of science and technology and higher education, the DGIST said. Ambassador Jyri Järviaho has been focusing on strengthening innovation ecosystem cooperation between the two countries by visiting major science and technology institutions in Korea since taking office as the Finnish Ambassador to Korea in 2024. Recently, he has been taking th