By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Within the framework of the initiatives for the 140th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations, the Embassy of Italy in the Republic of Korea organized, on the occasion of the International Women's Day, the third edition of 'Ambassador for a day', a project that allows a Korean university student to join the Ambassador of Italy in Seoul, Emilia Gatto, during a typical day of her life, to gain high-level direct experience in an international working environment. The student was selected after an examination of the essays that participants from various K
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “We look forward to a future-oriented partnership…the upgrade of our relations to a strategic partnership will open fresh avenues for growth,” stressed Amb. of the Philippines to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega at a reception on March 5. Delivering toast remarks at a reception for the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Philippines held at Grand Hyatt Seoul, Amb. Dizon-De Vega said, “And grow it shall across many areas of cooperation from Korea’s engagement in the Build Better More infrastructure program of the Philippines through which l
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo met with British Ambassador to Korea Colin James Crooks at the speaker's office in Seoul on March 5 to review the agenda for his official visit to United Kingdom in mid-to-late March. "The United Kingdom was the second-largest troop contributor to the Korean War after the United States," Kim said, noting that Ambassador Crooks, who served as a counselor at the British Embassy in Seoul, organized Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Andong in 1999. "The queen's visit strengthened our bilateral relations." "Last year, in honor of th
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo met with Ambassadors Peter van der Vliet of the Netherlands and Georg Wilfried Schmidt of Germany on March 4 to review the agenda of his official visit to the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. "The Netherlands sent more than 5,000 troops to fight in the Korean War before the establishment of diplomatic relations," Kim said during a meeting with Ambassador van der Vliet at his office in Yeouido. "Our two countries have developed cooperation in a wide range of areas since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1961, and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo In his address at the WeGO Kick-off Event on February 20, 2024, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Korea, Mr. Nurgali Arystanov, expressed his gratitude to Secretary General Jung Sook Park for hosting the event. He highlighted the importance of city-to-city diplomacy and WeGO's proactive efforts to strengthen city networks for smarter, more inclusive urban environments. Referring to the upcoming WeGO Executive Committee Meeting 2024 and 7th General Assembly as major events to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Mr. Arystanov appreciated Almaty's selection as an Executive V
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul attended the United Nations Security Council briefing marking the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, held at the UN headquarters on February 23 (New York time), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. Foreign Minister Cho reaffirmed the Korean government’s consistent position that the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine should be respected, and stressed that Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine is a clear violation of the UN Charter and international law. Additionally, Foreign Minister C
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan organized on February 26, 2024 a symposium dedicated to the next anniversary of the Khojaly genocide happened 32 years ago during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The event was co-organized by the Korea-Azerbaijan Culture Center as well as Korea’s FarmConnect company. Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Ramin Hasanov held a speech at the symposium. He pointed out that the massacre in Khojaly is clearly classified as genocide and ethnic cleansing according to the UN Convention on the Prevention and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Seoul to the Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev initiated a significant reshuffle of key government positions on February 6, 2024, signing decrees following the dismissal of the Government the previous day. Among the notable changes, Olzhas Bektenov, former head of the Executive Office of the President, was appointed as the new Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. Bektenov's candidacy was proposed by the ruling Amanat party and subsequently approved by the Mazhil
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Vice Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan Talgat Lastayev met with Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea Lee Yoon-sang in Sejong City on Feb. 19. During the meeting, they discussed the ways to increase the frequency of flights between Kazakhstan and Korea, and adding new destinations to the existing routes. They agreed to elevate the aviation cooperation to the next level by continuing regular aviation consultations. Moreover, Talgat Lastayev held meetings with the leadership of the T'Way airlines and Siri
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo On February 25, 2024, a Single voting day was held in the Republic of Belarus as part of the elections to the National Parliament. During this significant event for the entire State, members of the House of Representatives (lower House of the Parliament) and Local Councils were elected. Later this year, state elections will be held for members of the Council of the Republic, representatives of civil society organizations for the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, and deputies to Local Councils. In the context of 2024 Belarusian parliamentary elections, Andrew Ch
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Busan City Mayor Park Hyung-jun announced on Feb. 22 that he met with French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Bertoux at the International Conference Room of City Hall on the 23rd to discuss cooperation plans for Busan-France interaction. Ambassador Philippe Berthoux said, "The French Embassy in Korea will be able to play a bridge role in the interaction between Busan and France." "We expect to cooperate with Busan in various fields such as culture and tourism, cultural contents such as movies and videos, cultural facilities such as art museums, economic trade, and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Obid Khakimov, director of the Center for Economic Research and Reforms under the Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication via the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. The dynamic growth of the population of Uzbekistan requires at least high outstripping economic growth rates in order to adequately meet the growing needs and improve the standard of living of people. But this requires new, more balanced and verified approaches to ensure timely achievement of the set goals. And
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Sharif Kabilov, professor of the Department of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Republic of Uzbekistan, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication via the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. One of the first acts that consolidated the legal foundations of the anti-corruption policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan is the law “On Combating Corruption”, adopted on January 3, 2017. Today, citizens of Uzbekistan directly experience rapid changes in the political, legal, socio-economic life of our country, the form
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Seoul Library received a donation of 20 books from the Peruvian Embassy in Korea on Feb. 16, containing introductions to Peru's history, culture, and locales. The books, which are donated by countries around the world, will be housed in the Seoul Library's 'World Archives' and will be open to the public for browsing. The Seoul Library's World Library, which opened in 2012, holds more than 50,000 books donated by embassies from more than 60 countries. Last year alone, the library received 140 books from embassies in France, Lithuania, the Philippines, and th
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo President Yoon Suk-yeol reiterated his firm stance on healthcare reform during his closing remarks at the 9th Cabinet Meeting held at the Presidential Office on Feb. 20. President Yoon emphasized, "Healthcare reform will be pursued unwaveringly," regarding collective actions of medical residents and medical students. He stated once again his resolute position on healthcare reform. The President stated, "There can be no threat to the lives and health of the people during the process of healthcare reform," and urged, "I request that the entire cabinet be united t