By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Tian Xiangli, Chairwoman of the Sichuan Provincial Committee, China at the Mayor's Office in Seoul City Hall to discuss ways to revitalize exchanges between Seoul and Sichuan on July 15. Mrs. Tian Xiangli is a ministerial-level official of Sichuan Province. Seoul and Sichuan are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their friendship this year, and have been engaged in steady exchanges and cooperation, including a visit by Sichuan Governor Yin Li (now Party Secretary of Beijing). During the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Seoul City don
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The World Peace Art Exhibition Organizing Committee announced that a total of 1,193 artworks were submitted for the 27th World Peace Art Exhibition during the application period of July 5 to 10. Various artists participated in the exhibition and presented their works with messages related to peace. The exhibition will be held from August 21 to August 26 at a special hall in the basement of the Maru Art Center in Insa-dong, Seoul. The exhibition will bring together the submitted works to convey to visitors the importance of peace and the beauty of art at the same
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee A solo exhibition by artist Jeon Byung-hee will be held on the 5th floor of Insa Art Plaza (Lefranc) in Insadong, Seoul from July 10 to 23. In this exhibition, Jeon has developed a technique called "petal touch three-dimensional oil painting technique," in which the artist sculpts petals with paint as if embroidering the emotions felt in her heart, and expresses her wishes for happiness as petals on the tip of her brush. I work in a way that feels a little unfinished because I want the viewers to fill in the gaps in their minds. It is a work that is completed by
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee If Wittgenstein, a master of modern philosophy, once said, "The ultimate goal of philosophy is to show the fly the way out of the bottle," then the ultimate goal of art would be described as "to make the fly in the bottle dance, sing, and dream, so that it can overcome the gravity of reality." In other words, art, with its unique imagination and creativity, is the pursuit of self-reflection, which includes not only philosophy but also the so-called literary periods of literature, history, and the humanities, and should be aimed at eternity while seeing the limits
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Diplomatic Journal and the UN Journal are publishing a series of articles on folk paintings in both Korean and English to introduce Korean folk paintings to the world. –Ed. 渇忠輔國心無貳(Galchungbogooksimmui) "A heart that is loyal and wants to serve the country has no two minds." This means that a person who is willing to serve the country is pure in heart and has no other thoughts. It shows that loyalty to the country is unwavering. Loyalty is a state of mind that transcends personal interests and is solely dedicated to the country. It means that you don't care a
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Starting on July 1, Korea will assume the chairmanship of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) for one year, with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang In-sun serving as Chair, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on June 27. Critical minerals are indispensable for high-tech industries such as semiconductors, batteries, and electric vehicles, which are pivotal to Korea's economic prosperity and essential for the global clean energy transition for net-zero targets. However, the concentration of critical mineral reserves and processing facilities in a limited nu
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Park Jang-ho, Director-General for Diplomatic Intelligence, and Brett Holmgren, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, signed the “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Bureau of Diplomatic Intelligence (BDI), and the United States Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) concerning Analytic Intelligence Cooperation” in Washington, D.C., the United States on June 24, 2024. The diplomatic authorities of the ROK and the U.S. have shared a common understandi
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee K-POP fans around the world will pay attention to ‘BlingOne’, the first K-POP Peruvian girl group selected in the Peruvian season of the global K-pop audition ‘Click the Star’, makes its official debut. For their first performance, they will participate in the recording of ENA Channel's 'K-Pop Up Chart Show' music broadcast on June 26, and perform their debut song 'Kiss & Call'. 'Click the Star' is a global K-POP audition project hosted by the World K-Pop Center. It is a program that selects national representatives from 32 countries around the world and trai
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Xin Changxing, Party Secretary of Jiangsu Province of China, at the main building of Seoul City Hall to discuss friendly exchanges and cooperation between Seoul and Jiangsu Province on June 20. Elected in January 2023, Xin Changxing is a member of the 20th CPC Central Committee, the highest leadership body of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), with voting rights in the 205-member CPC Central Committee, and the number one person in Jiangsu Province. The meeting was organized to discuss ways to revitalize friendly exchanges betw
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee World-renowned vocalist Kim Dong-kyu attended the 77th anniversary 'Your Voice Open My Heart' love concert at Jamwon-dong Cathedral Archdiocese in Jamwon-dong, Seoul on June 15, and sang famous songs with the voice of God, receiving a standing ovation and great praise from the audience. "Music is a common language," said Father Lee Kang-koo (Marco), pastor of Seoul's Jamwon-dong Cathedral. "Playing and singing beautiful melodies unites people across borders, generations, and cultures, and has a synergistic effect that unites us all in love," he said. "The reason
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The “Korea-Africa Key Minerals Dialogue” will be launched to strengthen global supply chain cooperation between Korea and Africa. In addition, they will jointly endeavor to ensure the stable supply of key minerals and promote technical cooperation related to key minerals based on mutual agreement. President Yoon Suk-yeol signed the joint declaration with the heads of state or government of 48 African countries at the Korea-Africa Summit held in Gyeonggi Province on June 4. Africa holds 30 percent of the world's mineral resources, including key raw materials for t
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with visiting International Crisis Group on May 28 and exchanged views on the importance of the Global South, which encompasses developing countries in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, as well as cooperation measures, the international situation, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. As the strategic position of the Global South is strengthening under the geopolitical transformation, including the intensifying U.S.-China strategic competition, the war in Ukraine, and the crisis i
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the opening ceremony of the Seoul World City Culture Festival 2024 (Seoul Friendship Festival), held at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on May 24, 2024. The event began with an opening speech by Mayor Oh Se-hoon, followed by a congratulatory speech by Ambassador Abdulla Saif Alnuaimi of UAE to Korea. This year's festival was held from May 24 to 26 at Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggye Plaza, and Cheonggyero, under the theme of “Seoul and the World Together through Culture.” The stage was decorated as a global festival where people coul
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee President Yoon Suk-yeol accepted Letters of Credence from two resident Ambassadors-Designate and thirteen non-resident Ambassadors-Designate to the Republic of Korea at the Presidential Office on May 21, 2024. The fifteen Ambassadors-Designate are: H.E. Tanee Sangrat from the Kingdom of Thailand, H.E. Mizushima Koichi from Japan, H.E. Jacques Jean Luc Nyanga from the Republic of Congo, H.E. Menzie Sipho Dlamini from the Kingdom of Eswatini, H.E. Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson from Iceland, H.E. Pick Fung Chong from the Republic of Suriname, H.E. Marie Roland Alain Won
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Pinocchio sits on a green couch deep in the forest. He is gazing at the distant sky with a slight smile on his face. Perhaps he's remembering a pleasant memory. A soft melody seems to be coming from the speaker of a phonometer poking its head into the forest across the street. The whole forest is filled with a clean energy. Pinocchio looks like an adult. He looks childlike and wary. He enjoys the infinite delusions of his imagination with his delicate wings, which are not yet strong enough to fly. The messengers of his excitement are a couple of lovebirds. Health