By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “The Dominican Republic and Korea need to become strategic partners this year,” said Dr. Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic in Korea. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal, Amb. Cuello Camilo said, “As far as I know, H. E. President Yoon Suk-yeol plans to go to Latin America twice this year to participate in the APEC summit in Peru, and later to Brazil to participate in the summit of the G20. It would be an honor for us to host President Yoon during a stopover in the Dominican Republic. He could then sign with H.
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Gwangju City Mayor Kang Ki-jeong met with Thai Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Tanee Sangrat in the reception room of the city hall on June 21 to discuss cooperation in high-tech industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) and future cars. "Gwangju City, together with the National Asian Culture Center, has been conducting cultural ODA (official development assistance) projects in Chiang Mai, Thailand, since last year, and Gwangju FC visits Thailand every year for winter training," said Mayor Kang. "I hope that these ties will lead to a stronger relation
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier docked at the Busan Naval Operations Base on June 25. This is the third time a sitting president has boarded a U.S. aircraft carrier, following former Presidents Park Chung-hee in 1974 and Kim Young-sam in 1994. The Roosevelt aircraft carrier's visit to South Korea is a step toward implementing the Washington Declaration, adopted by the leaders of the United States and South Korea in April last year, and symbolizes the United States' ironclad defense commitment to South Korea, includi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Korean Air Flight KE189, which departed Incheon International Airport for Taichung International Airport in Taiwan, was diverted due to an airframe defect. Flight KE189 took off at 4:45 p.m., and about 50 minutes later, while flying over Jeju Island, a message was displayed stating that there was an "abnormality in the pressurization system". The pressurization system regulates the pressure inside the aircraft. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 in question is a Boeing 737 MAX 8, which was identified last October as having a 'pressure bulkhead' abnormality, leading to a glob
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo POSCO International, led by CEO Lee Kye-in, is setting up a production base for the European electric vehicle (EV)market this year, following its expansion into the North American market last year. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new traction motor core plant was held in Brzeg, Opole Voivodeship, Poland on June 11, 2024. The event was attended by Opole Marshal Andrzej Bula, Brzeg Mayor Violetta Jaskolska-Palus, Korean Ambassador to Poland Lim Hoon-Min, POSCO International Green Industry Business Head Lee Young-Woo, and others. The new plant, which will occupy
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo President Jang Young-soo of Pukyong National University and U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg signed a business agreement to open the American Corner. President Jang Young-soo and Ambassador Philip Goldberg recently signed an MOU at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to open the 'American Corner' at Pukyung National University in September to provide students and the public with a variety of materials and programs related to American education and culture. The American Corner is part of the U.S. Embassy's public diplomacy programs around the world, providing info
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Park Jang-ho, Director-General for Diplomatic Intelligence, and Brett Holmgren, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, signed the “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Bureau of Diplomatic Intelligence (BDI), and the United States Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) concerning Analytic Intelligence Cooperation” in Washington, D.C., the United States on June 24, 2024. The diplomatic authorities of the ROK and the U.S. have shared a common understandi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin met with Uzbekistan's Prime Minister Abdullah Arifov to discuss economic cooperation on June 13. According to Lotte Group, Shin visited Uzbekistan as part of President Yoon Suk-yeol's three-nation tour of Central Asia. While there, Shin met with Prime Minister Arifov and discussed ways to strengthen joint projects related to energy, tourism, and the food industry. "Lotte Group is one of Asia's largest conglomerates," said the Uzbek government, "and this high-level dialogue will lay the foundation for the development of our two
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo | The following is the full-text of the joint statement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea. –Ed. On June 11-13, 2024, President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol paid a state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan at the invitation of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. On June 12, 2024, the Heads of two states (hereinafter referred to as the Parties) held negotiations in the city of Astana. During the negotiations, which took place in a friendly atmosphere, the Parties highly appreciated the dynamics of th
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee K-POP fans around the world will pay attention to ‘BlingOne’, the first K-POP Peruvian girl group selected in the Peruvian season of the global K-pop audition ‘Click the Star’, makes its official debut. For their first performance, they will participate in the recording of ENA Channel's 'K-Pop Up Chart Show' music broadcast on June 26, and perform their debut song 'Kiss & Call'. 'Click the Star' is a global K-POP audition project hosted by the World K-Pop Center. It is a program that selects national representatives from 32 countries around the world and trai
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo ISTE signed an agreement with VILDUJA, a Lithuanian energy company, on March 27 to jointly promote various hydrogen projects, including the construction of on-site hydrogen refueling stations. VILDUJA has decided to cooperate with ISTE on technical cooperation and joint business in line with Lithuania's focus on developing the renewable energy and hydrogen industries. In recent years, Lithuania has been investing heavily in the renewable energy and hydrogen industries at the national level. As part of this, it is promoting the construction of on-site hydrogen r
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Xin Changxing, Party Secretary of Jiangsu Province of China, at the main building of Seoul City Hall to discuss friendly exchanges and cooperation between Seoul and Jiangsu Province on June 20. Elected in January 2023, Xin Changxing is a member of the 20th CPC Central Committee, the highest leadership body of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), with voting rights in the 205-member CPC Central Committee, and the number one person in Jiangsu Province. The meeting was organized to discuss ways to revitalize friendly exchanges betw
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “Kazakhstan is a wonderful place to visit. We have a golden triangle that any Korean should go and visit,” said Ambassador Nurgali Arystanov of Kazakhstan in Korea on June 19. Delivering welcoming remarks at the Kazakhstan Tourism Roadshow held at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Amb. Nurgali Arystanov said, "Korea and Kazakhstan have a visa-free agreement and are close siblings with a six-hour direct flight," introducing Kazakhstan's accessibility and attractiveness as a travel destination. The ambassador highlighted three cities, known as the "Golden Triang
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Uzbek Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Vitaliy Fen, a Goryoin (ethnic Korean), passed away on June 18 at the age of 76. "It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Vitaliy Fen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Korea," the Uzbek Embassy in Seoul said on June 19. "For 25 years, Ambassador Fen led the diplomatic mission of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Korea and made a significant contribution to the development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea," the embassy sa
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo “The Adinkra symbols of Ghana, which encapsulate wisdom, philosophy, and life lessons, resonate deeply with the artistic expressions found in Korean art,” said Esi Han, the organizer of Harmony in Symbols Exhibition and a writer as well as a cross-cultural coach. In an interview with the Diplomacy Journal, Esi Han said, “Korea hosted the Africa-Korea Summit on June 4-5 this year. We wanted to create an event that not only celebrates this important occasion but also bridges these two vibrant cultures. “The Adinkra symbols of Ghana, which encapsulate wisdom, phil