By Lee Kap-soo POSCO International announced on Oct. 30 that they have signed a business agreement with the local Environmental Protection Agency in Bogor, Indonesia, to strengthen activities in the Papua Bian River Wildlife Sanctuary. The signing ceremony on this day was attended by various officials, including Hyeon Chang-seop, Corporate Director of POSCO International PT. BIA, and Atanasius Guntara Martana, director of the Papua Environmental Protection Agency. Through this agreement, POSCO International will carry out activities in the Bian River Wildlife Sanctuary, which covers approximat
By Lee Jon-young Upon arriving in Seoul on Dec. 10, Rogers Holdings Chairman Jim Rogers, one of the world's most famous three investors, said, “South Korea trades with the U.S., China and Japan. And most of those countries are going to be having problems in the next two or three years and Korea cannot escape. South Korea will follow the problems of the rest of the world.” Chairman Jim Rogers came to Korea at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Bukkwan Victory Monument National Movement, a juridical foundation, to consult on the production of a drama about General Jeong Mun-bu, who d
By Lee Kap-soo Ambassador of Kazakhstan Nurgali Arystanov delivered a speech at the Busan-Kazakhstan Business Forum, organized in honor of the first anniversary of the establishment of sister city ties between Almaty and Busan, on Nov. 14. The event was attended by more than 50 CEOs of South Korean companies, representatives of the Busan City Hall, the Busan Development Institute, Kazakh Invest and Kazakh companies. The event was organized by the Busan Economic Promotion Agency (BEPA) together with the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in Busan. In his remarks, Ambassador Nurgali Arystanov noted
By Lee Kap-soo Highlighting breakthrough startups, LG NOVA, LG Electronics’ North American Innovation Center, announced the winners of the Startup Pitch Competition at its annual Innovation Festival in October 2023. The LG NOVA Innovation Festival is a unique event that brings together innovators to discuss, explore and build next-generation technological solutions for the advancement of people and the planet. The Innovation Festival provides an ideal setting for the recognition of new growing startups with the potential to make a positive impact for a better future. This year, twelve companie
By Lee Kap-soo Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Bang Moon-kyu met with Vietnam’s Industry and Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien on December 7 at the Shilla Seoul to hold the 13th Korea-Vietnam Industrial Joint Committee and 7th Korea-Vietnam FTA Joint Committee meetings, where they discussed measures for stronger economic cooperation. During the Industrial Joint Committee meeting, the two leaders agreed to push forward the establishment of a critical minerals supply chain center and cooperation in materials and parts technology development as a swift follow-up to the memorandum of understandi
By Lee Kap-soo Korea and Canada concluded the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the Department of the Environment of Canada concerning Cooperation on Climate Change, signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada Steven Guilbeault on December 3, 2023 on the occasion of the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP28, Nov. 30-Dec. 12, Dubai) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This MOU has been concluded, as President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Abdulaziz Rasulev, Academic Secretary at Institute of Legislation and Legal Policy under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Doctor of Science in Law, Professor, to Diplomacy Journal. – ED. In the Republic of Uzbekistan, significant results have been achieved in recent years within the framework of judicial and legal reforms, which have affected all spheres. As indicated by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev “over the last years we have accomplished a profound work to establish justice in the judicial
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Azamjon Farmonov, Head of the public association "Legal support" in human rights of Uzbekistan, to Diplomacy Journal. – ED. Freedom of speech, opinion and information is a fundamental human right. According to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. In addition, Arthur Sulzberger, publisher of
By Lee Kap-soo The economic forum “Wind of Kazakhstan” was held in the Korean province of Jeollabuk-do with the participation of representatives of the Akimat of the Almaty region, business and academic circles of the two countries on Dec. 5. The event was hosted by the Jeollabuk-do Provincial Administration and the Province's International Cooperation Agency. While delivering welcoming remarks, Ambassador of Kazakhstan Nurgali Arystanov said that Kazakhstan was interested in developing cooperation with the Jeollabuk-do province in areas such as agriculture, smart farms, digital trade, constru
By Kayla Lee KB Kookmin Bank, a strategic partner of GLN International, signed an MOU on Nov. 15 with SCB (Siam Commercial Bank) to provide enhanced financial services for customers using 'KB Wallet', the digital wallet on the KB Kookmin bank's banking application, while traveling in Thailand. Under this new agreement, KB and SCB will collaborate on developing a novel financial model for cross-border payment infrastructure in both Korea and Southeast Asia. They will share financial technology and infrastructure expertise. Initially, they will cooperate on joint marketing efforts for customers
By Lee Kap-soo “Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) has been serving as Secretariat of the German-Korean Energy Partnership in Korea,” said Dr. Martin Henkelmann, President & CEO of KGCCI. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal, President Henkelmann said, “We have been serving as Secretariat of the German-Korean Energy Partnership in Korea for around 3 years. Furthermore, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency are addressed intensively through numerous B2B meetings, conferences and delegations which we organize constantly.” Noting that German companies have
By Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Mirzatillo Tillabaev, First deputy director of the National Human Rights Center of Uzbekistan, to The Diplomacy Journal. – ED. Uzbekistan supports the UN Call to Action for Human Rights. The importance of human rights is at the forefront of the continuous efforts to modernize the political, legal, and socio-economic aspects as outlined in the Uzbekistan 2030 Strategy. This Strategy aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and is committed to upholding the principle of “Leaving no one behind”. Over recent years, under the guid
By Lee Kap-soo The 27th Korea-Latin America Business Forum was held at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korean Council on Latin America & Caribbean, the Korea Institute for Foreign Economic Policy, and the Overseas Construction Association. The event was attended by Han Byung-kil, chairman of the Korean Council on Latin America & Caribbean, Park Duk-ryul, director general for cross-border investment policy of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim Ko-hyun, executive vice president of KITA, and Amb. Athanasio Ko
By Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) awarded Continental Korea, dob Studio and Nuvilab as innovators of the year at the ‘9th KGCCI Innovation Awards’ on November 9 at the Banyan Tree Club and Spa Hotel in Seoul. Officially supported by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), the KGCCI Innovation Awards, initiated in 2015, are to support companies that create value in the Korean market through innovative products, processes, and technologies, while also promotin
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a keynote address to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 20, calling the international community's attention to the illegality and danger of the military deal between North Korea and Russia and calling for a united response. In addition to expressing his country's willingness to actively contribute to resolving challenges such as global disparities, President Yoon also called for support for the 2030 Busan World Expo (Busan Expo). President Yoon said at the General Debate on the floor of the UN General Assembly in