Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee | On April 22, the next Summit of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) – one of the region's prominent organizations – will take place in Astana. The upcoming meeting of the Heads of the Founding States acquires special significance, as it marks the transition of the Fund's chairmanship to Uzbekistan for 2027–2029 period. This will be our country’s third mandate, following leadership terms in 1997–1999 and 2013–2016. It is worth noting that Tashkent was at the forefront of the creation of IFAS. Yet, resuming this leadership role after a decade takes
Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | On Friday, April 17, 2026, the Embassy of Peru in the Republic of Korea organized a tribute to Mario Vargas Llosa — Nobel Prize in Literature laureate in 2010 — on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of his birth. The event took place at the Instituto Cervantes Seoul, located in the heart of the Myeongdong district, drawing a full auditorium of diplomats, academics, local media professionals, and students from across Latin America and Korea. The evening opened with a screening of a fragment of the documentary A Personal Journey Through 'I Dedicate My Silence'
Diplomacy Journal David Kendall 기자 | In an exclusive interview conducted online between April 9 and April 15, 2026, and supplemented by an in-person meeting at the Embassy of Belarus on April 22, H.E. Mr. Andrew Chernetsky, Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Korea, speaks candidly about bilateral trade, Korean economic strategy, peninsula security, the Eurasian Charter, and the state of Belarus–South Korea government dialogue. BILATERAL RELATIONS Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held a summit in Pyongyang with DPRK Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un on March 25–26 this y
President Lee Jae-myung held a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron at Cheong Wa Dae (CWD) on April 3, marking the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations and the elevation of bilateral ties to the level of "Global Strategic Partnership." The meeting was Macron's first visit to Korea since taking office, and the first state visit by a European leader since Korea's new government was inaugurated. The two leaders discussed the ongoing Middle East conflict and its global economic repercussions, agreeing that regional stability must be restored as quickly as possible. They e
Diplomacy Journal David Kendall 기자 | The Embassy of Turkmenistan in Seoul hosted an international conference on March 25 at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) to mark the 35th anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence. Ambassadors, government officials, academics, and students attended the event, which was also a celebration of diplomacy, scholarship, and culture produced by and about Turkmenistan. In his opening remarks, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to the Republic of Korea Begench Durdyyev championed his country's 2026 motto "Independent, Permanently Neutral Turkmenistan, the Homelan
As Iranian attacks inflict mounting damage on civilian infrastructure across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has conducted a series of emergency telephone calls with his counterparts in the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar over the past week, prioritizing the safety and repatriation of Korean nationals and the security of Korea's energy supply. United Arab Emirates — March 5 Minister Cho opened the week of diplomatic outreach with a call at 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, to H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister
Diplomacy Journal shJung | The 29 years of Diplomatic Journal are not simply a testament to its experience. They represent an asset built on the accumulated records and trust of the diplomatic field. Throughout this time, Diplomatic Journal has documented diplomacy not in the "language of power," but in the language of people and culture. Its records have captured the expressions of the field, rather than the words of agreements, and the weight of attitude, rather than the rhetoric of declarations. Now, the purpose of the 2026 K-Diplomatic Cultural Center is to pass this asset on to the next g