By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) has been honored with the 2024 Korea Energy Award. Presented by the Korea Energy Agency, the award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. KGCCI's receipt of the award underscores its commitment to Climate Change Response and Greenhouse Gas Reduction through initiatives such as government policy development and implementation, public awareness campaigns, an
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo POSCO Group is advancing plans to build an integrated steel mill in India, a growing market with a population of 1.4 billion. On October 21, POSCO Group signed an MOU with JSW Group, India’s leading steel company, in Mumbai to collaborate on business ventures in the steel, secondary battery materials, and renewable energy sectors. Senior executives from both companies attended the signing ceremony, including POSCO Group Chairman In-hwa Chang and JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal.Under the MOU, POSCO Group and JSW Group will collaborate on various business opport
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo SK Plasma, led by CEO Kim Seung-joo, announced on Nov. 14 that it has signed investment agreements with the Indonesia Investment Authority (INA) for the operation of its Indonesian joint venture, PT SKPLASMA CORE INDONESIA (SK Plasma Core). In October last year, SK Plasma signed a term sheet about direction of project and transaction with INA to establish a plasma fractionation plant in Indonesia. The signing ceremony of investment agreements was attended by Ahn Jaehyun, CEO of SK Chemicals and SK Plasma, Kim Seung-joo, President of SK Plasma, Roh Hyunho, CEO o
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Belgian Tourist Office and InterparkTriple will jointly host the 'Winter Belgian Beer Festa 2024', where you can taste a variety of beers, including Christmas beers produced exclusively for the 2024 Christmas season. At the festival, visitors will be able to taste a total of 10 beers, including monastery beers and craft beers such as “Eau de Goût Boon,” “Sejong Dupont,” “Rochefort Triple Extra,” and “Valdu Grand Cru,” as well as Christmas beers that are not easily available in the market, and hear fun and professional talks about Belgian beer from beer expe
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Gyeonggi-do Governor Kim Dong-yeon's 'semiconductor diplomacy' in the Netherlands has resulted in a 3 trillion won investment from ASM, a global semiconductor company. ASM will invest 3 trillion won in Gyeonggi-do by 2030, cooperating with local companies in purchasing components and providing job opportunities for university students in the province. Governor Kim Dong-yeon signed the 'Gyeonggi-do, Hwaseong City, and ASM MOU' at the ASM headquarters in Almere, the Netherlands, on Oct. 31. Governor Kim and Hwaseong City Mayor Jung Myung-geun were joined by ASM C
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo LG Electronics recently concluded the 2024 Global IT Challenge (GITC) for Youth with Disabilities in Manila, Philippines, reinforcing its commitment to empowering young people with disabilities. Held from November 3-8, this year’s GITC brought together 104 participants from 16 countries to compete in six innovative IT challenges. After advancing through national preliminary rounds, the finalists tested their abilities across diverse digital tasks. The challenges included eTool, which assessed participants’ ability to create presentation slides and manage spread
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) has published the 10th CSR Report of German Companies in Korea. This year’s CSR Report highlights a variety of CSR activities of German companies that actively engaged with and contributed to Korean society, the KGCCI said on Nov. 11. Launched in 2014, KGCCI CSR Reports have covered a wide range of CSR initiatives and achievements of German companies in Korea, which contribute to its local community and environment protection. This year’s report introduces you to t
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) awarded Henkel Consumer Brands Korea, Medipixel Inc., Pebble-Square, and Petnow Inc. as innovators of the year at the ‘10th KGCCI Innovation Awards’ on November 8 at Banyan Tree Club and Spa Hotel in Seoul, Korea on Nov. 8, 2024. This milestone event, officially supported by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), the KGCCI Innovation Awards, launched in 2015, are to support companies that create value in t
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo A group of former USFK commanders and South Korean military generals visited Hanwha Aerospace’s Changwon Plant 3 on November 1 to tour the vibrant production lines of the company’s signature combat vehicles, including the K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) and K10 Ammunition Resupply Vehicle (ARV). The visit was organized by the Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA) and the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation (KUASF). Among the participants were Retired Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Chairman and President of KDVA; Retired Gen. Walter L. Sharp; Retired Gen. Robert B.
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo SK bioscience, a global innovative vaccine and biotech company committed to promoting human health from prevention to cure, announced on Oct. 23 that the world’s first quadrivalent cell-cultured influenza vaccine, SKYCellflu Quadrivalent prefilled syringe, has been approved by Indonesia’s Food and Drug Agency, BPOM (Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan). This marks the first time a domestically developed influenza vaccine has been licensed in Indonesia. Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous nation with over 280 million people, boasts Southeast Asia’s largest e
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) jointly held the “2025 Ausbildung Information Session” with BMW Group Korea, Daimler Truck Korea, MAN Truck & Bus Korea, Mercedes-Benz Korea and Volkswagen Group Korea at Ajou Motor College in Boryeong, Chungcheong Province, on Oct. 18, 2024. Ausbildung program is dual vocational training education from Germany, where on-the-job training and theoretical education from school are carried out simultaneously. The training is a 36-month educational program combinin
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo SK Enmove, a subsidiary of SK Innovation known for its leadership in the lubricants market and its focus on enhancing electrical efficiencies such as those in electric vehicles and thermal management, has proactively secured a stable supply of iodine. This crucial ingredient is vital for producing high-efficiency, next-generation automotive refrigerants. By utilizing this essential material, SK Enmove plans to develop advanced refrigerants that offer superior cooling and heating performance compared to current market offerings, positioning the company as an ind
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young The Diplomacy Journal reporter met with Chef Kim Han-sol, owner of Casa Italy on Jahamun-ro 8-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to learn more about Italian food. Casa Italia is a restaurant that serves Italian cuisine based on Italian cuisine and seasonal Korean ingredients. Casa Italia serves original Italian cuisine based on Italian cuisine, but with fresh seasonal ingredients from Korea. The menu changes according to the changing seasons, providing a unique experience where you can enjoy the deep flavors of Italian cuisine and the freshness of Korean ingredients at t
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Samsung Electronics America announced on Oct. 10 that seven models in its 2024 Neo QLED and QLED lineup are the first in the industry to receive both the HDR Brightness Accuracy and True Cinema Black certifications from Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker (VDE), a leading German electrical engineering certification institute. “Technology continues to advance, enabling us to deliver an unmatched cinematic experience right in our customers’ homes,” said Yongjae Kim, Executive Vice President and Deputy Head of R&D Team, Samsung Visual Display Business. “We are
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Hyundai Motor Group has signed a collaborative research agreement with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) in the field of new energy on Oct. 8. The partnership will encompass a three-year research collaboration, focusing on the areas of hydrogen energy business and advanced energy system. This collaboration between the Group and NTU, a globally renowned university, aims to take a step closer to achieving carbon neutrality. The focus of the partnership will be on developing alternative energy sources leveraging the Group's advanced energy technolo