By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in New York on September 24 (local time), who was attending the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly. Prime Minister Meloni stated that the two countries have been developing balanced cooperative relations across various fields, including trade and investment. She assessed that the potential for expanding economic cooperation between the two nations is very high, as demonstrated by events such as the successful Korea-Italy Business Forum held in Seoul
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for comprehensive UN reform, stronger global cooperation, and urgent steps toward peace, sustainability, and digital equity in a time of mounting instability during the Sept. 23 General Debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. In his statement, President Tokayev underscored the urgent need for a comprehensive reform of the UN system. Reflecting on the institution’s eight-decade legacy, Tokayev acknowledged the UN’s central role in addressing global challenges – but warned that the cur
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, and Hanwha Ocean jointly hosted an event to honor U.S. Korean War veterans by inviting them to the company's facilities in South Gyeongsang Province on September 22. Under the Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ "Revisit Korea Program," the event took place from September 18-20. It included participants like Lois R. Gwyn (98), a former naval nurse who served on the USS HAVEN, and Robert M. Martinez (94), a U.S. Army sergeant who fought in defense of Korea. A total of 85 participants, including U.S. service members
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo HS Hyosung Information Systems, a leading provider of AI and data infrastructure solutions, hosted the Data Center Modernization Conference 2025 on September 23 at the Crystal Ballroom of Lotte Hotel Busan. At this conference, HS Hyosung Information Systems shared a wide range of cutting-edge infrastructure strategies to accelerate customers’ AI transformation—spanning from the latest AI data center strategies, private AI-based acceleration (AX), to differentiated data innovation strategies with Hitachi Vantara’s VSP ONE. AI and data utilization are increasingl
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and the Korea Alpine Federation said the biennial Climbing World Championships on Sept. 20 kicked off its nine-day run, the Korea.net reported. Approximately 1,000 athletes from 60 countries have entered the tournament in events like para-climbing, boulder, lead and speed. The qualifying rounds are held at Han-Eul Square of Olympic Park and the finals at Olympic Gymnastics Arena (KSPO Dome) in Seoul's Songpa-gu District. Seoul's bid to host the competition was unanimously approved in April 2023 at the IFSC C
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Environment and the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute announced that the “2025 ESG-ECO EXPO KOREA” will be held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul from September 24 to 26. Launched in 2005 and now in its 21st year, the Eco Expo has been organized as a festival where consumers, businesses, and the government come together. Its aim is to strengthen the connection between the supply and demand of environmental technologies and industries while encouraging the public to practice green living. This year’s Eco Expo features a total of 23
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Republic of Korea held the annual cultural and gastronomic event “Belarusian Cuisine Day” on September 23, 2025, organized jointly with Belarusian diaspora in Korea. The main audience of the event was representatives of the South Korean student community from among the students of the Russian Language Department at Chungbuk National University, local cultural and public figures, as well as the Korean media. According to the established tradition, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belaru
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol held a meeting with the IMF team, led by Mission Chief for Korea Mr. Rahul Anand, as part of the 2025 Article IV Consultation on September 23. The mission team has been visiting Korea from September 11 to 24. Mission Chief Mr. Anand briefed DPM Koo on the outcomes of the two-week Article IV consultation, the first to be conducted since the launch of the new administration, and exchanged views on key issues. He assessed that the Korean economy is on a recovery path, supported by the expansio
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 Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first bilateral meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was attending the 80th UN General Assembly High-Level Session in New York on September 24 (local time). The two leaders commended the steady development of bilateral relations in various areas, including political affairs, economics, and people-to-people exchanges, since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1989. In particular, they shared the view that bilateral trade has recently grown steadily, and that substantive cooperation is expanding, with Korean com
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with Mongolian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development Nyam-Osor Uchral at the Government Complex Seoul on September 23. The two leaders exchanged views on strengthening Korea-Mongolia relations and cooperation. Prime Minister Kim welcomed the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Uchral and the Mongolian delegation to Korea, which marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Mongolia. He expressed appreciation for the deep understanding between the two countries and the
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
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung, currently in the United States to attend the UN General Assembly, met with BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink, Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) Chairman Adebayo Ogunlesi, and former World Bank President Kim Yong as his first stop on the agenda on September 22 (local time). The meeting focused on three major transformations facing humanity: artificial intelligence, energy transition, and demographic change. They also confirmed a shared understanding for strategic cooperation between Korea and