By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo From March 24 to 29, members of the delegation of the Ministry of Ecology are on a working visit to the Republic of Korea with the aim of expanding cooperation in the areas of improving environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment systems, as well as strategic environmental assessment and achieving carbon neutrality, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul said. As part of the visit, on March 24, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the State Environmental Expertise Center and the Korea Environment Institute. This memorandum provides for:
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Academician Prof. Akmal Saidov, Deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Vice-President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (2020-2023), to Diplomacy Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. In April 2025, Tashkent will host the 150th anniversary Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) for the first time in the history of Central Asia. This event brings together over 2000 parliamentarians from more than 100 national parliaments,
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “A house is not just a physical space. It is where our soul resides.” At the exhibition “Home, and the Landscape Beyond” held at Gallery 2 of the Sejong Museum at Sejong University, artist Han Kyung-won quietly yet resolutely shared her philosophy. In her artwork, a “home” is not merely an architectural structure. It is a landscape that holds memories and a language that conveys emotions. The exhibition ran from February 26 to March 9, presenting an artistic journey through over 40 paintings that expand the familiar theme of “home” into time, memory, nature, an
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article on Professor Park Young-hee’s “Saturday Letters” was contributed by Esi Han, Public Relations Officer of the Embassy of Ghana in Seoul to Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. On March 15, 2025, at the sunlit convention hall of YMCA Youth center in Goyang city, something greater than a milestone was celebrated—a quiet homage to a life of thought, a philosophy of care, and a deep affection for humanity. The occasion marked the 1000th issue of the ‘Saturday Letters’ a heartfelt essay series written without interruption for 20 years by Prof
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo In celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Seoul and the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra are preparing to present an exceptional concert in the Korean capital, Seoul, on April 13, 2025. The concert will take place at the National Theater of Korea - Haeoreum Hall at 3:00 PM local time, conducted by Maestro Wilson Ng, and featuring renowned pianist Jaehong Park. This special concert aims to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries through music. T
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by the Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus to Diplomacy Journal for publication through the Embassy of Belarus in Seoul. –Ed. Belarus is a country with an ancient history and rich traditions, beautiful nature and stunning architecture, industrial giants and well-developed agriculture, unique cuisine and hospitable people. Belarus is located in the center of Europe at the crossroads of many international routes. The capital of the Republic of Belarus is the city of Minsk. Mi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) released their 10 "small but strong potential" tourist attractions for this year on March 17. The list refers to relatively unknown destinations with high growth potential. The seven debutants to the rankings this year are Gimpo Hamsang Park in Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do Province; Rainbow Healing Tourist Site in Yeongdong-gun County, Chungcheongbuk-do Province; Myeoncheoneup Fortress in Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do Province; Sani Garden in Haenam-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province; Suncha
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK), the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI), and nine other European chambers of commerce have released the results of the annual “2024/25 Business Confidence Survey”. Conducted from January 22 to February 14, 2025, the survey garnered responses from 139 CEOs of European companies operating in Korea. The survey reveals a decline in business confidence among European companies in Korea. The percentage of companies satisfied with their business performance has steadily decreased from 68% in 2022 to
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Constitutional Court dismissed the National Assembly's impeachment charges against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Mach 24. Han will immediately return to work and serve as acting president. The Constitutional Court held a hearing for Han's impeachment trial earlier in the day and dismissed the National Assembly's impeachment charges. Han's impeachment was dismissed in a 5-1 vote by the court's eight justices. Two justices voted to reject the impeachment motion entirely. The National Assembly argued that Han should be dismissed because he conspired or aided
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo South African Ambassador to Korea Sindiswa Ntombolimo Mququ visited the Dangjin cable factory of Taihan Cable & Solution Co. on March 19 to discuss ways to expand business in South Africa, the company announced on March 20. The meeting was held at the factory to help the ambassador gain a better understanding of the cable production process and provide experience in a large-scale production facility. This is the first time that Ambassador Mququ, who was newly appointed in October last year, has visited a private company, Taihan Cable & Solution said. Du
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Azerbaijani cultural night and Novruz holiday event was held at Grand Hyatt Seoul on March 18. The festive event was organized jointly by Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Korea and Azerbaijani Diaspora Support Fund under State Committee on Work with Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Delivering welcoming speech at the event, H.E. Ambassador Ramin Hasanov of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Korea said, “Novruz is being celebrated for millennia by almost half a billion people living in the Caucasus, Balkans, Caspian Sea basin, Black Sea
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Jeollanam-do Governor Kim Young-rok met with Thai Ambassador to South Korea Tanee Sangrat at the reception room of the provincial government office on March 17 to discuss cooperation between Jeollanam-do and Thailand in various fields including economy, culture, and tourism. The meeting was held to further strengthen mutual cooperation between Thailand and Jeollanam-do and to expand exchanges and enhance mutual understanding between the two sides. During the meeting, Kim expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the two Thai nationals who were killed
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Belarus invites businesspeople and entrepreneurs to take part in the Fifth International Golf Tournament among Amateurs Minsk Golf Invitational 2025 to be held on May 23-24, 2025 in Minsk (Belarus), the Embassy of Belarus in Seoul said on March 18. The idea of the tournament is to renew the enthusiasm of both Business and Golf, and bring together businesspeople who share a passion for this beautiful game for the competition. The tournament take place on the private territory of the Minsk Golf Club, which is located in a forestland near the capital of Belarus an
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM), led by Chairman and CEO James Kim, hosted a special luncheon with Charge d’Affaires (CDA) of the U.S. to Korea Joseph Y. Yun at the Four Seasons Seoul on March 18. The event brought together approximately 130 senior business executives and industry leaders to engage in an in-depth discussion on the future of the U.S.-Korea alliance and strategic economic cooperation in an evolving global landscape. In his opening remarks, AMCHAM Chairman & CEO James Kim reaffirmed AMCHAM’s commitment to deepening U.S.-Kore
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Jeju Governor Oh Young-hoon met with German Ambassador to Korea Wilfried Georg Schmidt to discuss carbon-neutral cooperation. “Jeju is expanding the proportion of renewable energy generation to 70 percent and building a 7-gigawatt power generation facility in accordance with the energy transformation plan,” Oh said during the meeting at the provincial government office on March 14, according to Jeju Island. ‘In particular, we have succeeded in producing green hydrogen using surplus electricity and are even operating hydrogen buses,’ he explained. In response, A