By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo (New Year Message) Dear readers of the Diplomacy Journal, Looking back on the year that is about to end, we realize that it was marked by the outbreak of conflicts in several parts of the globe and by elections in various parts of the world, including South Korea, where parliamentary elections were held in April. Unfortunately, military conflicts have also dominated international news, with wars in Europe, the conflict in the Middle East, not to mention some localized conflicts in Africa, in all cases with unnecessary loss of human lives and almost total destru
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) and the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) co-hosted a special reception with Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on December 11 at Banyan Tree Club and Spa Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. This special reception was organized to assess recent developments in economic policy, foreign investment, and overall status of business environment for German, French and other European companies in Korea. This gathering comes on the heels of last week’s brief m
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The 4th International Strategic Communication Forum (Stratcom Summit' 24), organised by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, will take place in Istanbul on December 13-14 with the theme "AI in Communication: Trends, Traps, and Transition." The Stratcom Summit'24, Türkiye's largest communication summit, will bring together the leading figures of international communication to deliberate on the transformations in the field of communication through artificial intelligence. The forum, which will kick off with the opening speeches of Vice President Cevdet
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo (New Year Message) Dear readers of the Diplomacy Journal, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude for your interest in Venezuela, a country with a proud and heroic past, a resilient present, and a promising future. Venezuela is committed to passing down a free, independent, and socially just nation to future generations, overcoming the many crises caused by the forces of capitalism. The year 2024 has been a pivotal one for strengthening diplomatic relations between Venezuela and the Republic of Korea. I want to extend my deepest
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo (New Year Message) Dear readers of the Diplomacy Journal, Modern trends in international developments are characterized by the rapid reconfiguration of the existing world order with the previous system of trade, economic, and political ties being greatly transformed into a new one. Although the clear picture of the new world order seems deemed for now, we can roughly see its contours, which depend entirely on us and our generation: how capable we are of compromise, dialogue, and whether we can find optimal solutions in a choice of possible options. In this cond
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo SK bioscience, a global innovative vaccine and biotech company committed to promoting human health from prevention to cure, announced on Dec. 12 that it has received approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) in Australia for the clinical trial protocols of a Phase 1/2 trials for its mRNA-based Japanese encephalitis vaccine candidate, GBP560. SK bioscience is establishing its mRNA vaccine platform through the development of vaccines against Japanese encephalitis virus as well as Lassa fever virus. The Japanese Encephalitis Virus (viral family: Fla
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Hyundai Motor Group announced partnerships with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) on Dec. 3 to establish a collaborative research system in the fields of batteries and electrification. The three institutes include IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay and IIT Madras. The Hyundai Center of Excellence (CoE), which will be set up within IIT Delhi, will operate through sponsorships from Hyundai Motor Group. The primary objective of the Hyundai CoE is to take the lead in driving advancements in batteries and electrification, specifically designed to meet the unique require
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo (New Year Message) Dear readers of the Diplomacy Journal, As we welcome the New Year, I extend my warmest wishes to the readers of the Diplomacy Journal of the Republic of Korea. May 2025 bring peace, prosperity, and happiness to you and your families. The year 2025 holds special significance as we prepare to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Lao PDR and the Republic of Korea. Since the establishment of our partnership in 1995, our two nations have built a lasting friendship based on mutual respect, trust, and shared aspirations for
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo (New Year Message) Dear readers of the Diplomacy Journal, On behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Kenya, I want to extend our warm greetings for the new year 2025 to you and your families and wish you good health, peace, happiness and prosperity. As we close 2024 , we are happy to inform that Kenya is celebrating 2 special milestones, 61 years of Independence as well as 60 Years of diplomatic relations between Kenya and Republic of Korea. This cordial bilateral relationship has steered cooperation in areas of Education, Infrastructure developm
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Ministry of Economy and Finance is continuing to communicate with the embassies of major countries in Korea to help resolve the martial law situation. “Our economic system is solid and the government's emergency response system is working stably,” Choi Ji-young, the ministry's international economic director, told Charge d'affaires Fang Kun of the Chinese embassy in South Korea at the Seoul Government Complex on Dec. 10, 2024. “Our government is proactively responding to financial and foreign exchange market volatility in coordination with the Bank of Korea
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance said, “We will continue peacetime-like policy responses to ensure that foreign investment and economic activities do not shrink under any circumstances.” His remarks were made during his meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima at the Government Complex in Seoul on Dec. 9. “The recent political situation is likely to raise concerns among Korean companies and their home countries, but the government and the Bank of Korea are working together to proactively respond to fina
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo (New Year Message) Dear readers of the Diplomacy Journal, It is with pleasure that I convey, in my name and on behalf of the Moroccan Embassy team and also in my capacity as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Dean of the African Group of Ambassadors., my sincere greetings to the people and the Government of the Republic of Korea. I seize this opportunity to extend my heartfelt wishes for success to Diplomacy Journal, to Chairman Lee as well as to its Managing Editors. On New Year’s Eve, it is an occasion to review what has been achieved over the leaving year and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo (New Year Message) Dear readers of the Diplomacy Journal, As the year draws to a close, we take this moment to reflect on the profound significance of 2024 for the diplomatic relationship between Uruguay and Korea. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of formal ties between our two nations —a milestone that invites us to celebrate a shared history and envision a promising future. Though Uruguay and Korea are separated by great distance, resilience and determination define both nations. From Montevideo to Seoul, the bond between our nations
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “Thailand-ROK’s people-to-people and cultural ties continue to grow. For instance, Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival held in October proved a resounding success, with over 50,000 visitors,” said H.E. Amb. Tanee Sangrat of Thailand to South Korea at the national day reception. Delivering welcoming speech at the reception held at the Crystal Ballroom, Lotte Hotel Seoul, on Dec. 4, Amb. Tanee Sangrat said, “The Embassy also initiated an unprecedented special passport project this year, issuing over 37,000 passports for Thai nationals in the ROK. Our efforts to elevate
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Department of Global Culinary Arts at Woosong University recently held the Alma Chef Competition. The event, which was held in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Korea and the Italian Trade Corporation in Korea, is part of the World Italian Food Week. Woosong University and Alma Culinary School signed a joint curriculum agreement in June and have been conducting active educational exchanges through local training and internships. The Department of Global Culinary Arts at Woosong University collaborated with ALMA, a leading Italian culinary school, t