By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The “Korea+Sweden Young Design Award (KSYDA),” a contest aiming to discover and nurture emerging Korean designers and foster design exchange between Korea and Sweden, marks its 5th round. Co-hosted by IKEA Korea, the Embassy of Sweden in Seoul, and the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP), the contest was launched in 2019 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Sweden and has since become a key platform for collaboration and innovation. The Korea+Sweden Young Design Award is grounded in three core values
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance, met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is visiting South Korea on Jan. 6, and said, “Let's continue to maintain a diplomatic and security framework based on the strong ROK-US alliance and trilateral cooperation.” “As a friend of South Korea, the United States has full confidence in the strength of South Korea's democracy and the leadership of Acting President Choi,” Blinken said. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said Choi and Blinken met earlier in
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo In a recent interview to Ana Tili (Mother Tongue) newspaper, President Tokayev of Kazakhstan shares his perspectives on the activities in the past year and sets goals for 2025. The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Seoul to Diplomacy Journal for publication. — Ed. Major Outcomes of 2024 Last year was marked by many important events, and a great deal of work was accomplished. For example, engineering and communal infrastructure across all regions underwent modernization after having fallen into a deplorable state. A total of 18 mi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok met with the U.S. ambassador to South Korea and the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea on Jan. 3, emphasizing that “we will continue to promote our diplomatic and security stance based on the strong U.S.-South Korea alliance.” Choi made the remarks during a joint reception with U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Philip Goldberg and U.S. Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) General Xavier Brunson at the Government Complex in Seoul. “Let's continue to actively
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo | Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul visited the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Jan. 2, 2025 to pay his respects to the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter. “I visited the mausoleum of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, honored his noble life, expressed my condolences to Ambassador (Philip) Goldberg, signed the condolence book, and returned,” Cho said in a post on social media Facebook. “It is with a heavy heart that we experience one sad event after another during the holiday season,” he said. “We honor his lifelong dedication to international peace and prosperity and deepl
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun has been re-elected as the 14th president of the Korea Archery Association (KAA). He has held this position since 2005 and will serve another term from January 2025 to January 2029. The election committee of KAA recognized Chung for significantly enhancing the competitiveness of Korean archery through a long-term vision, improved administrative operations, and financial independence. He has been instrumental in supporting national representatives, nurturing talent, and expanding the sport's presence in Korea and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The U.S. ambassador to South Korea and former and current commanders of U.S. forces in South Korea emphasized the steadfastness of the U.S.-ROK alliance in their New Year's Day speeches, pledging cooperation to strengthen security in East Asia, the VOA reported. The leaders of Japan and Taiwan also pledged to strengthen their defense forces to counter the threat posed by North Korea, signaling their determination to face challenges from authoritarian states. In his New Year's address, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Philip Goldberg emphasized that the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Ambassador of Ethiopia to Korea Dessie Dalkie Dukamo met with Incheon Mayor Yoo Jung-bok at the reception room of Incheon City Hall on Dec. 31 to discuss cooperation, the Incheon Metropolitan City announced. The meeting was held at the request of Ambassador Dukamo, and they exchanged views on how to cooperate in the development of a smart city in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. “I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the warm welcome of the Ethiopian Economic Mission to Incheon during the Korea-Africa Summit in June and for organizing this impor
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo World leaders have sent their condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims and the people of South Korea following the tragic crash of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the aircraft crash in South Korea. I send my heartfelt condolences to the people of South Korea and Thailand, and to all those who have lost loved ones,” he retweeted a post from Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Foreign ambassadors from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other countries have expressed their condolences over the crash of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport in Jeolla Province on Dec. 29. “I was heartbroken to hear the tragic news this morning at Muan Airport,” U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg said on X (formerly Twitter), adding, ”My heartfelt condolences go out to the victims and their families, and our thoughts are with the Korean people at this difficult time.” China's new ambassador to South Korea, Dai Bin
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo POSCO Holdings has joined forces with Hancock Prospecting, an Australian mining company, to strengthen the supply chain for lithium used in Rechargeable battery materials. POSCO Holdings and Hancock Prospecting formalized their collaboration by signing a business agreement on lithium cooperation on Dec. 9. The signing ceremony was conducted via video conference between Korea and Australia, with attendance from POSCO Holdings’ Jun-hyung Kim, Head of Rechargeable Battery Materials (Senior Executive Vice President), and Garry Korte, CEO of Hancock Prospecting, amo
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “We hope to strengthen cooperation with South Korea to promote peace and stability in the region and mutually support the successful hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings,” new Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing said on Dec. 27. The post has been vacant for nearly six months after former ambassador Xing Haiming stepped down in July. “While upholding the international free trade system, I hope to create a favorable environment and conditions for the common development of our two countries and the solidarity and cooperation of t
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg, who will leave Seoul next January, said, “I'm going home with very fond memories of Seoul,” adding, “It's true that there has been uncertainty in Seoul over the past two weeks, but what we can be sure of is the strong U.S.-Korea alliance.” Goldberg made the remarks at Seoul City Hall on Dec. 26, where he received an honorary citizenship certificate from Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Goldberg, who was appointed U.S. ambassador to South Korea in July 2022, will leave Seoul next January when he retires. “I am so pleased to recei
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon met with U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Philip Goldberg on Dec. 24 to reaffirm the unwavering partnership between South Korea and the United States. During the luncheon meeting, Governor Kim expressed his gratitude for Ambassador Goldberg's unwavering belief in and support for the resilience of Korean democracy despite the martial law and impeachment situation. The two reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the U.S.-ROK alliance, including economic cooperation, including high-tech industrial exchanges, and ple
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The year 2024 marks the next successful chapter in the history of the friendly and cooperative relationship between Azerbaijan and Korea. Our countries, which maintain full-fledged and multidimensional cooperation, eagerly continued also throughout this year their high-level political dialogue and work for strengthening their economic, humanitarian and cultural bonds as well as implemented a number of meaningful projects. 2024 has been also promising year for diversifying our bilateral collaboration by expanding exchanges and engagement in the future-oriented a