By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The inaugural direct flight between Busan and Almaty successfully departed from Gimhae International Airport on July 15, 2025. Operated by Eastar Jet on a Boeing 737, flight ZE935 marks an important milestone in enhancing air connectivity between Kazakhstan and Korea. The launch was attended by Consul General of Kazakhstan in Busan Mr. Askar Aslan, Honorary Consul Mr. Sang-Hoon Lee, and representatives of Eastar Jet. The Consuls greeted the flight crew before departure and extended their best wishes. The seven-hour flight carried 120 passengers, including trave
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The multi-day visit of South Korean opera singer Lee Yeon-Seong to Belarus, organized by the Belarusian side, came to a close on July 14, 2025. For the first time in the history of the International Festival of Arts “Slavianskiy Bazaar in Vitebsk”, a performer from the Republic of Korea took the stage. At the Summer Amphitheater, Lee Yeon-Seong, together with young Belarusian talent Ivan Maltsev, performed a traditional song “The Golden Ray of Sunlight” (lyrics by Y. Entin, music by G. Gladkov), receiving warm applause from the audience. The South Korean guest’
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong was cleared of all charges related to the alleged “illegal succession,” including the unfair merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries and accounting fraud, on July 17, 2025. According to the business and legal communities, the prosecution charged Lee and others, stating, “As vice chairman of the Samsung Group at the time, Lee illegally interfered in the merger process between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries in 2015 to secure management succession and strengthen the group's control.” As a result, Lee
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korea Startup Forum (KOSFO) announced on July 17 that it successfully held the “KSF IR Day,” a practical IR program supporting promising domestic deep tech startups' entry into the European market, at the Aston Hall of the British Embassy in Korea on July 16. Through this event, which was held as a pre-program for COMEUP 2025, KOSPO established official exchange channels with the UK startup ecosystem, including the British Embassy in Korea and the UK Department for International Trade. A total of 77 teams of startups in cutting-edge technology fields such a
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Choi Jin-shik, chairman of the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea (FOMEK), met with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing, who visited the federation on July 16, and stated that practical Korea-China economic cooperation must be urgently restored and strengthened in order to effectively respond to changes in the global economic environment. Choi said, “Although exchanges between the two countries have significantly decreased in recent years in all areas, including the economy, China, which is the largest trading partner and one of the top thr
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Gyeonggi Province and Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan signed a joint declaration to mark the 35th anniversary of their friendship agreement. Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon met with Kanagawa Prefecture Governor Yuji Kuroiwa at the Provincial Office and agreed on a “Joint Declaration on Deepening Exchange and Cooperation” to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest between the two regions on July 16. According to Gyeonggi Province, this meeting was an official return visit by Kuroiwa, who was invited by Governor Kim Dong-yeon during his visit to
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, has been officially appointed as president of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF). Chung, who is also chairman of HDC Group, was unanimously appointed as EAFF president at the 6th EAFF Extraordinary General Meeting held at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Suwon on July 15. His term will last approximately eight months, until the next EAFF Regular General Assembly in March 2026. The EAFF hosts the EAFF E-1 Football Championship (East Asian Cup) every two to three years, with four national teams fr
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo President Lee Jae-myung sent invitation letters to the 20 leaders of APEC member countries to attend the APEC summit to be held in Gyeongju this year, the Presidential Office announced on July 15. Presidential Office spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing on the same day, “President Lee sent a letter on July 14 (Korea time) informing them that this year's APEC summit is scheduled to be held in Gyeongju, South Korea, from October 31 to November 1, and inviting the member countries to the summit.” Twenty-one countries, including South Korea, the United Stat
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Ryoo Dong-keun, president of Korea Maritime and Ocean University (KMOU), recently held a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador to Korea Anne Kari Hansen Ovind at the university headquarters in Dongsam-dong, Yeongdo-gu, Busan, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in education and research, the KMOU said on July 15. Norway is the world's fourth-largest shipowner and a leading nation in shipbuilding and marine technology, with some of the world's most advanced shipbuilding equipment technology. The two countries have been actively collaborating in the marine
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Ambassador Alisher Abdusalomov of Uzbekistan to South Korea visited the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Office on July 15 and discussed ways to expand exchanges and cooperation with Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum. Ambassador Abdusalomov said, “Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, the two countries have continued friendly cooperation in various fields, including politics, economy, and culture,” adding, “I hope that the cooperative relationship for mutual benefit and common prosperity will be further deepened.” In response, Governor Kim said, “The people
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Rep. Kim Yong-tae of the People Power Party visited Maria Castillo Fernandez, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to South Korea, on July 10 and discussed ways to expand cooperation between South Korea and the EU. Both sides agreed on the importance of Korea-EU security cooperation amid support for Ukraine and the “European rearmament” initiative, and emphasized the need for cross-party exchange and cooperation at the National Assembly level. Rep. Kim stated, “Korea has fought to protect peace, not aggression, throughout its long history,” expressing support
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Choi Jin-shik, chairman of the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea (FOMEK), met with Amit Kumar, Indian Ambassador to South Korea on July 11, and discussed ways to expand the presence of mid-size companies in India as a promising overseas market and a new production hub for mid-size companies. Chairman Choi stated, “India’s rapid growth is remarkable, based on its highly skilled workforce and advanced manufacturing and digital infrastructure, which are often described as having an abundance of talent.” He added, “India’s value as a new market and p
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo In an effort to promote national exports, Kazakhstan participated in the Korea Import Fair 2025, held in Seoul from July 7 to 9. The event, hosted by the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) with the support of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), showcased the services of Air Astana and Scat Airlines as well as products from Maximus and chocolate by Lotte Rakhat. In her opening remarks, KOIMA Chairperson Youn Young-mi emphasized the importance of expanding imports from frien
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. “