Diplomacy Journal David Kendall | On February 10, H.E. Saeed Koozechi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, hosted a reception to mark the 47th Anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution (celebrated on February 11). The event was held in the Shilla Hotel’s Hanok-inspired YeongBinGwan Hall. Before the official ceremony, a video introduced Iran’s long legacy. It began with a reference to the legend of the archer Arash, who gave his all to secure a vast land for his people, and included scenes from Iran’s diverse and beautiful landscapes, including the green hills of Torkaman Sahra and the s
The first Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM1) of APEC 2026 and its related sessions were held in Guangzhou, China, from February 1 to 10. As the first official forum for discussions on the road to the 2026 APEC Leaders' Summit, the meeting gave member economies the opportunity to review the direction of future cooperation and key agenda items. The Coordinator for Economic Diplomacy at Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Park Jong-han, led the Korean delegation and participated in the Senior Officials' Meeting as well as four major committee meetings: the Committee on Trade and Investment
Diplomacy Journal shJung | Samsung Electronics announced the world's first mass production shipment of HBM4, a key component in the artificial intelligence industry. Samsung, which has lagged behind in the HBM market, has seized the opportunity to once again dominate the market with this HBM4 shipment. Samsung Electronics Vice President of Memory Development Hwang Sang-joon stated, "Samsung Electronics' HBM4 breaks the mold of previous, proven processes by applying cutting-edge processes like 1c DRAM and Foundry 4nm." "By securing sufficient room for performance expansion through process compe
President Lee Jae-myung spoke by phone on the afternoon of February 10 with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, exchanging views on global security challenges and ways to expand Korea-NATO cooperation.. The call was made at Secretary General Rutte's request, coming seven months after the two leaders' first phone conversation in July of last year. President Lee and Secretary General Rutte agreed that continued cooperation between Korea and NATO is essential for addressing global security challenges, particularly as security in the Indo-Pacific and Europe has become increasingly interconnected. T
The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Kingdom of Netherlands held the first Korea–Netherlands 2+2 Foreign and Industry High-Level Dialogue on February 11 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Seoul. On the ROK side were Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. Minister of Foreign Affairs David van Weel and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Aukje de Vries represented the Netherlands. As both countries are bound by a Strategic Partnership, the dialogue addresses political, economic, and industr
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced on February 13, 2026, that Korea’s information and communication technology (ICT ) exports in January totaled USD 29.1 billion, up 78.5 percent year-on-year. Imports rose 20.0 percent year-on-year to $14.1 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $15.0 billion. In January 2026, ICT exports posted the highest January total and year-on-year growth on record. The increase reflected expanding global demand for AI infrastructure and the ongoing shift toward higher-specification ICT devices. IC