By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The K-pop group TRENDZ successfully concluded their first solo concert in Türkiye, further proving their global popularity. The concert was co-hosted by Eventi Venti and Korever Company. On October 6, at the JJ Arena Watergarden in Istanbul, the "TRENDZ 1st Türkiye Concert" featured the group's hit songs as well as new tracks, receiving an enthusiastic response from local fans. The concert showcased TRENDZ's wide musical range and strong stage presence, from their 2021 debut song "TNT (Truth & Trust)" to their latest release "GLOW." The group impressed the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) and the German Embassy in South Korea, in collaboration with SAP, co-hosted the “Korean-German Climate & Environment Conference 2024” on October 8 at Conrad Hotel Seoul, South Korea. Focusing on the theme of ‘Advancing Climate-Friendly Supply Chains,’ the conference brought together over 90 government officials, business leaders, and climate experts from both countries. Participants explored strategies to combat climate change, foster collaboration between Germ
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in Vientiane, Laos, for the ASEAN Summit, held his first summit with Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith on Oct. 10 (local time). President Yoon congratulated the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) on the successful hosting of the ASEAN Summit, and expressed his pleasure that bilateral relations have been strengthening in various fields, including investment, infrastructure, environment, labor, and people-to-people exchanges, since the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in 1995. The President also expressed his inter
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young In 2024, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and issued a joint declaration elevating their relationship to “strategic partnership. The declaration encompasses political, defense, economic, development, maritime, and socio-cultural cooperation between the two countries, and lays out specific directions to continue mutual cooperation and development in the face of rapidly changing regional and international conditions. The Philippines was the first Asian country to support the R
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young During his state visit to Singapore, President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the Singapore Lecture organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore on October 9 and delivered a speech entitled “A Unified Korean Peninsula for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific.” The audience included leading public figures from all walks of life in Singapore, members of the diplomatic corps, Korean compatriots and international students. In his speech, the President noted that Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy of Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity and the
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) donated 200 bookstands to the Seoul National School for the Blind on October 11, 2024. This donation aims to improve learning environment of and promote greater inclusivity for visually impaired students. The donation ceremony took place at the Seoul National School for the Blind and was attended by KGCCI President Martin Henkelmann, Yangsook Cho, Principal of the Seoul National School for the Blind, and Jinhyung Cho, President of the Seoul Blind Union. The event u
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young The governments of South Korea and Singapore signed a Supply Chain Partnership Agreement (SCPA) on Oct. 8 during President Yoon Suk-yeol's state visit to Singapore. “We will strengthen supply chain cooperation with Singapore in the bio, energy, and high-tech industries and respond to supply chain disruptions together,” said President Yoon. “I and Prime Minister Wong agreed to further strengthen cooperation on supply chains for strategic goods and energy in response to the growing instability in the international economy,” Yoon said at a joint press conference
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Oct. 7 (local time) and agreed to expand economic cooperation, including cooperation on “mega-infrastructure” worth about $2 billion (2.69 trillion won), and strengthen cooperation in the defense and security fields. The two countries also upgraded their bilateral relationship to a “strategic partnership. This is the first formal bilateral relationship in 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During the Korea-Philippines summit held in Manila, Philipp
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in Vientiane, Laos, for the ASEAN-related summit, held talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Oct. 10. The President expressed his pleasure that bilateral relations are developing day by day in line with the 'comprehensive strategic partnership' based on active high-level exchanges, and hoped that the two countries will build on their close cooperation achievements and further expand strategic and forward-looking cooperation in multi-layered fields. Prime Minister Chinh said Vietnam will do its best to continue
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is visiting Vientiane, Laos, for the ASEAN-related summit, held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for about 40 minutes on October 10. The two leaders appreciated that the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders of Japan and South Korea was held just ten days after Prime Minister Ishiba took office, and decided to continue to meet and communicate closely whenever possible, including through shuttle diplomacy, to further accelerate the development of bilateral relations. The two leaders agreed th
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo From October 8 to 12, 2024, Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, paid an official visit to Kazakhstan. This significant visit, marking his overseas first in this capacity, focused on deepening strategic cooperation across various sectors and strengthening inter-parliamentary ties between the two nations. On October 9, Speaker Woo was received by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Akorda Presidential Palace, where both leaders discussed the dynamic and multifaceted development of relations between Kazakhstan and South Kore
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann), in cooperation with German Embassy Seoul and the Korean-German Energy Partnership, supported by RWE, BayWa r.e., TÜV SÜD, MR, Skyborn Renewables, and Siemens Energy, held the 2024 Korean-German Business Forum on Offshore Wind Energy on October 11 at Four Seasons Hotel, Seoul, South Korea. The forum aims to strengthen business interactions and partnerships between Korea and Germany in the offshore wind energy industry, as a critical factor in shaping the future of
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is visiting Laos to attend the ASEAN Summit, held a summit with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Norman Albanese in Vientiane, Laos, on October 11, and exchanged views on practical cooperation between the two countries and regional and global issues. The President expressed his pleasure at the active high-level exchanges between the two countries and hoped that Korea and Australia, as similarly positioned countries with shared values, would continue to deepen communication and cooperation at all levels based on their 'Comprehensi