By Lee Kap-soo LG Chem has commenced the construction of a cathode plant in the U.S., intending to establish a production hub for the global battery material market. The facility, located in Montgomery County, Clarksville, Tennessee, will locally produce cathode materials optimized for North American electric vehicles (EVs) and collaborate with key partners from development to supply chain. On December 20, LG Chem held the groundbreaking ceremony for its cathode plant in Tennessee. The event was attended by guests including Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Commissioner Stuart McWhorter, Senator Ma
By Lee Kap-soo Minister for Trade Dukgeun Ahn and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi concluded and signed the joint statement for the Korea-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on December 28 in Seoul. The Korea-GCC FTA is Korea’s 25th FTA (by concluded order), and the second FTA with an Arab country following the Korea-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) concluded in October. Trade Minister Ahn assessed, “Alongside the CEPA concluded with the UAE in October, this FTA signed with GCC is a major catalyst for the sprea
By Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of Cambodia in Seoul and the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) jointly held the 2nd Korea-Cambodia Business Forum at the Trade Tower in Seoul on Dec. 21. The forum was attended by Ambassador of Cambodia to Korea Chring Botumrangsay, Executive Vice Chairman Jeong Marn-ki of KITA, Oknha Sok Piseth, vice president of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce and more than 150 Cambodian government officials and Korean businessmen. "The new Cambodian government's aggressive investment promotion policy has created a favorable environment for Korean businessmen to enter
By Lee Kap-soo Hyundai Motor Company and Mubadala Investment Company “Mubadala”, an Abu Dhabi-based global sovereign investor, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly explore potential business opportunities and synergies for future mobility and technologies. The signing ceremony, which took place on Dec. 15 in Abu Dhabi, was attended by Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, and Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of Mubadala Investment Company. This marks the beginning of a strategic collaboration that will drive progress
By Lee Kap-soo POSCO Group is cooperating with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences of Ho Chi Minh National University to acquire outstanding talents in Vietnam. ] POSCO Group Chairman Jeong-woo Choi inked a memorandum of understanding for industry-academia collaboration with Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences of Ho Chi Minh National University on Dec. 7, focusing on securing outstanding talents for the group’s Vietnamese subsidiaries. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is the premier institution in the humanities and social sciences f
By Lee Jon-young A world-renowned investor Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, said on Nov. 11, "If the Military Demarcation Line (DML) is opened, I would like to invite people like the K-pop girl group Blackpink and have a big party." After meeting with Unification Minister Kim Young-ho at the Government Complex in Sejong-ro, Seoul, later in the day, he also said, "I would also invite bands from North Korea." "If Martians came, they would have a hard time believing (the reality of the North-South division)," he said, adding, "They would say, 'We speak the same language, we're in the same
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