Diplomacy Journal Kim Tae Yeon | On the morning of August 12, President Lee Jae-myung received at the Office of the President in Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul credentials from the newly appointed resident ambassadors of four countries--the United States, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Ireland. The presentation of credentials ceremony is an official diplomatic procedure in which the Head of State of the sending country conveys credentials, conferred by their own new ambassador, to the Head of State of the host country. This ceremony marked the fifth such event held since the launch of t
Diplomacy Journal Kim Tae Yeon | President Lee Jae-myung accepted letters of credence from eight newly appointed resident ambassadors to South Korea on the morning of July 22 at the presidential office, calling on the envoys to serve as active bridges for deepening friendly cooperation between their countries and South Korea. The credentials ceremony, a formal diplomatic procedure in which a new ambassador presents the letter of appointment issued by their head of state to the head of state of the host country, marked the fourth such event held since the launch of the current administration. I
Diplomacy Journal Kim Tae Yeon | President Lee Jae-myung will travel to San Francisco and three South American nations from July 24 to August 3, in a diplomatic push aimed at deepening artificial intelligence cooperation, expanding trade ties and securing critical mineral supply chains, presidential officials announced Tuesday. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told reporters on July 22 that Lee's itinerary will take him to San Francisco, Brazil, Chile and Argentina before he returns home by way of Frankfurt, Germany. The trip is designed to translate Silicon Valley's advanced technology e
Diplomacy Journal Kim Tae Yeon | President Lee Jae-myung visits Yeonpyeong Unit for President of the Republic of Korea for the first time in 14 years… Lee says, “Thanks to your sacrifices, the people enjoy a comfortable daily living.” On June 24, President Lee Jae-myung visited the Republic of Korea Marine Corps Yeonpyeong Unit to encourage the personnel defending the national security in a remote frontline area and to inspect their readiness. This was the first visit by the President of the Republic of Korea to the Yeonpyeong Unit in 14 years since 2012, making it a meaningful schedule in whi
Diplomacy Journal Kim Tae Yeon | On the evening of June 23, President Lee Jae-myung hosted a dinner at Cheong Wa Dae’s Nokjiwon (Green Garden at the Office of the President), inviting diplomatic envoys from various countries of the world and representatives of international organizations stationed in Korea. This marks the first time in approximately one year, since the Liberation Day last year, that President Lee has invited the entire diplomatic corps to a dinner. It also marks the first time in seven years, since 2019, that an event for the diplomatic corps has been held at Cheong Wa Dae’s N
Diplomacy Journal David Kendall | President Lee Jae-myung announced a comprehensive restructuring of South Korea's growth strategy during his January 21 New Year press conference, presenting a new vision for national development amid a major realignment of the global order. In the morning at Cheong Wa Dae's Yeongbingwan guest house, President Lee emphasized that "as the world order undergoes a massive transformation … If South Korea becomes mired in the ‘formula for past success,’ it too could fall back into a similar vicious cycle." This was the third press conference of his tenure, following
By Publisher-Chairman Lee Jon-Young, Editor Andy Hyun President Lee Jae-Myung of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan held a Summit Meeting in Nara Prefecture, Japan, on January 13-14 and agreed to maintain stable relations between Korea and Japan as well as expand substantive cooperation. This meeting signifies the complete normalization of shuttle diplomacy between the leaders of Korea and Japan after President Lee resumed the practice with a visit to Japan last August. National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lak stated in a briefing in Seoul on January 14, "The
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held a summit with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye on Nov. 24. A nuclear power cooperation between Korea and Turkiye was included at the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed at the South Korea-Turkey summit, the Office of the President announced. The scope of cooperation included reactor technology, site assessment, regulations and licensing, financing and business models, and nuclear power plant project implementation. To this end, the two sides agreed to establish a joint working group, share information, experience, kn
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung, on a Middle East and Africa tour, held a dinner meeting with Korean compatriots in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 17 (local time) to encourage Korean nationals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Approximately 150 people attended this meeting, including representatives of compatriot organizations, businesspeople, members of the Advisory Council for Democratic Peaceful Reunification, Korean language school officials, cultural and artistic figures, and employees of international organizations. Jang Kwang-deok, President of the Korean Association in t
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee President Lee Jae-myung held a dinner-and-meeting with Koreans in Malaysia on October 26, titled "A New History We Write Together, the Real Republic of Korea," in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, and offered words of encouragement to Koreans living there. The meeting, part of President Lee's visit to Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit, was attended by approximately 200 people from various walks of life, including representatives of Korean community organizations, businesspeople, Korean language school officials, artists, and international organizations. In his congratulatory
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden on the afternoon of October 15. Crown Princess Victoria is on an official visit to South Korea from October 15 to 17. President Lee welcomed Crown Princess Victoria's visit to Korea and expressed hope that the visit would serve as an opportunity to further strengthen the long-standing friendly cooperative relationship between the two countries across various fields. Crown Princess Victoria expressed her pleasure at meeting President Lee. She noted that during this visit, meetings between the b
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24. He stated, "While the US and Japan recently reached an agreement on an 'Investment Package with the US,' Korea differs significantly from Japan in terms of economic scale, foreign exchange market, and infrastructure. I hope these aspects will be taken into consideration and that negotiations will proceed smoothly." Kim Yong-beom, Chief of Staff to the President for Policy, announced this during a briefing at a press cen
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo President Lee Jae-myung held his first summit with Czech President Petr Pavel and discussed ways to expand cooperation between the two countries, including the Dukovany nuclear power plant project. At the first summit held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 23 (local time), President Lee said, "This year marks a significant year, marking the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Czech Republic and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership. I am pleased to see the remarkable progress our bilateral relat
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo President Lee Jae-myung began his multilateral diplomacy by holding a summit with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23, 2025. President Mirziyoyev, seemingly conscious of his somewhat late arrival, remarked, "It was unintentional. The UN has a very complex protocol," adding, "These UN keynote speeches are quite long." The audience erupted in laughter. President Lee responded, "They say New York is complicated," to which Mirziyoyev replied, "Thank you." President Lee remarked, "I spoke with you on
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sept. 23 and asked for the U.N.'s support for South Korea's initiative to achieve North Korea's denuclearization through dialogue, the Presidential office said. Their meeting took place after President Lee declared at the UN that "South Korea will fulfill its responsibility and role to end the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula and contribute to global peace and prosperity through the 'E (Exchange), N (Normalization), and D (Denuclearization) Initiative." President Lee stated, “Peace an