Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | South Korea's Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Kim Yoon-duck, met with Vietnamese Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh on the afternoon of 26 August at the National Land Development Exhibition Hall, where the two discussed supporting Korean companies' participation in the feasibility study for Vietnam's North-South High-Speed Railway project, along with cooperation on smart cities, intelligent transport systems (ITS), and people-to-people exchange between the two countries. Kim noted that bilateral rail cooperation has produced concrete result
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened an emergency task force meeting at 10:30 p.m. on 26 August, chaired by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, following the loss of contact with nine South Korean nationals employed by Korea Southern Power and Doosan Enerbility after a sudden flash flood struck the Rasuwa region of Nepal on the morning of 26 August, local time. The workers had been involved in the construction of a hydropower plant in the area. The meeting was attended by officials from the South Korean Embassy in Nepal, the National Police Agency, the Min
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in a Korea-US-Japan Secretariat Steering Committee meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of State in Washington on 24 August. The meeting was organized to strengthen the institutional foundation of trilateral cooperation and further consolidate the cooperative framework among the three countries. Participants included Yoo Seung-min, Director-General for North American Affairs at South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; David Wilezol, Deputy Assistant Sec
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | President Lee Jae-myung is dispatching a special Presidential delegation to the inauguration of Peru's new President, Mme. Keiko Fujimori. The Korean government announced on the 24th that it plans to send a Presidential special delegation, led by Rep. Min Hong-Chul, to Peru to attend President Fujimori's inauguration ceremony on the upcoming 28th and to promote friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries in conjunction with the launching of Peru's new government. The delegation includes Rep. Min Hong-chul, who serves as the Chairman of the Kore
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | The world's finest Ahalteke horses will gather on a single international stage for the first time in history when the inaugural World Championship of Ahalteke Horses in Equestrian Sports and Beauty opens at the Peelbergen Equestrian Centre in Kronenberg, the Netherlands, from September 4 to 6, 2026. Entry to the event is free of charge. The Embassy of Turkmenistan in the Republic of Korea has formally announced the championship to the international community, describing it as a landmark occasion that brings together elite equestrian competition and an immersive
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | KOREA, July 22, 2026 — A special screening of "Act of Victory," a documentary film chronicling the life and battlefield legacy of General Paik Sun-yup, was held for United States service members at a U.S. military base in South Korea on Wednesday evening, drawing approximately 200 attendees in what organisers described as a solemn and deeply moving occasion. The film, directed by Kwon Soon-do and originally released in South Korean cinemas last summer, represents 22 years of production effort. It has been widely recognised among military professionals and histo
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment hosted a delegation from the Turkmen government in Seoul from July 21 to 23 for an invitational program aimed at expanding cooperation between the two countries in the water industry. The Turkmen delegation included representatives from the Water Resources Committee, which oversees the country's water policy and projects, as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Water Resources Design Institute, which handles technical design work. The event was or
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | President Lee Jae-myung hosts dinner on the evening of June 23 this year for the members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps, namely the ambassadors and the charge d'affaires, accredited to Korea. Diplomatic representatives from 118 countries and representatives from 30 international organizations are invited to meet at the Blue House, the Presidential Mansion. This is resumption of the diplomatic corps invitation event after 7 years, symbolizing the normalization of diplomatic relations and is aimed at promoting expanded global cooperation through strengthened solid
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | President Lee Jae-myung made an official visit to the Vatican for two days and one night. During the visit, he held his first private meeting with Pope Leo XIV since taking office and discussed cooperation measures for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the successful hosting of the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul. This visit marks the first official visit by the South Korean government leader to the Vatican in five years and is considered a significant diplomatic step in sharing the government’s commitment to international peace, solidarity and sustainable develo
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming every domain of the world. And the art world is no exception. AI now paints pictures, composes music, and produces videos. Many people ask whether AI can replace artists. However, that is not the true question. Art in the AI era is becoming a time that questions the depth of the human spirit, rather than a competition of technology. The media art work, 'Under the Moon' by Ryu Jae-Chun, a master of Korean ink painting, symbolically demonstrates this very point. The golden moon rising within the giant screen is not mer
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | SEOUL, June 15, 2026 — The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Marie Antonia von Schönburg) hosted the fourth edition of its “Guide Walkers” joint CSR event on June 13 at Sangam World Cup Park in Seoul, bringing together nearly 1,200 employees and family members from around 30 German companies and partner organizations in Korea. The participants served as guide walkers accompanying individuals with visual impairments along the 5-kilometer course at the 12th Harmony Marathon with the Visually Impaired, co-organized by the S
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | President Lee Jae-myung, during his European tour, agreed with the European Union (EU) to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields, including security, defense, trade, investment, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges. In addition, by elevating bilateral relations with Italy to a 'Special Strategic Partnership' for the first time in eight years, the two sides agreed to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly respond to global challenges amidst geopolitical instability. National Security Advisor Wi Sung-rak announced the
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | The Jolla Bukdo Special Self-Government Province has set out to expand talent exchange and policy cooperation with Uzbekistan. The Korean provincial government has received a training delegation of high-ranking officials from the central and local governments of Uzbekistan and shared support policies for international students as well as examples of digital administrative innovation. Jeolla Bukdo Special Self-Government Province announced on June 11-13 that high-ranking officials from central and local governments, including Rustam Karimzonov, Deputy Minister o
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | Mountains are silent. And yet, the mountains harbor the oldest history. For the past 15 years, South Korean K-Mountain Photographer Cho Myeong-Hwan has climbed up and down the Bukhan-san Mountain throughout all four seasons, capturing the silent time on camera. As the fruit of these records, he has released a photobook entitled, "170 Million Years of Bukhan-san" to the world. This photobook is not merely a collection of landscape photographs. It is a record that interprets, through art, the magnificent geological time, in which granite formed deep underground d
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | That name is K-Folk Painting. Just as the popular K-Pop, K-Drama and the K-Food have become the global language today. Minhwa, which captures the beauty of traditional Korean painting, now needs a new name for the world. This writer has long asserted that Minhwa should not be merely a painting of the past, but a cultural content that represents the Republic of Korea. For this reason, I have consistently used the term, the K-Folk Painting, in news media articles, and furthermore, I have even pursued trademark registration under the name "The Beauty of Korea, K-F