By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Jingwansa Temple in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul on April 7. The visit was organized in response to the President's desire to express his appreciation for Jingwan Temple's role in promoting the unique culture of Korean Buddhism, including its meditation and food. Upon his arrival at the entrance of Jingwansa Temple, the President was warmly greeted by Jin-woo, the head of the Jogye Order, Gyeho, the Buddhist monk of Jingwansa Temple, and Beophae, the Buddhist monk of Jingwansa Temple, in front of Daeungjeon Hall. The President first par
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, who is visiting Belgium to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting, held a meeting with New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Raymond Peters in Brussels on April 4 and exchanged views on bilateral relations, economic and trade cooperation, regional and international issues. Minister Cho expressed the significance of the meeting as the first high-level contact since the inauguration of New Zealand's new government in November last year, and called for more high-level exchanges between the two countries in
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek of Kazakhstan paid an official visit to South Korea on April 1-2. During the visit, he held talks with his colleagues and Presidents of Korean Universities and discussed issues of cooperation in science and digital technologies. At a meeting with the Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong Ho they reviewed the present status of cooperation and charted the course for future collaborations. Additionally, Minister Nurbek met with the Mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on providi
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Venice Biennale is the most prestigious and influential biennale in the world of art since its inception in 1895, and it is called the mother of biennales. The Venice Biennale, which consists of the main exhibition, national pavilions, and collaborative events, is called the Art Olympics because only a small number of artists selected by each country's ministry of culture are allowed to participate. As such, the artists who participate in the International Exhibition of Contemporary Art_ Venice Biennale are recognized as among the best in the world. This year
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Park Sang-woo attended a meeting in Seoul organized by the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) in Korea and infrastructure and other issues of mutual interest on April 3. The meeting was organized at the request of the Ambassador of Panama, who represented the Diplomatic Corps of Latin America in Seoul, to discuss cooperation in the construction and infrastructure sectors between Korea and Latin America. Minister Park met with ambassadors from 12 Latin American countries. Park noted that Brazil was t
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Incheon City Mayor Yoo Jung-bok met with Peruvian ambassador to Korea Paul Fernando Duclos Parodi to discuss cooperation at the reception room of Incheon City Hall on April 1. The meeting was held at the request of the ambassador, who discussed the appointment of Peru as the country’s honorary consul in Incheon and ways to cooperate in economic and cultural fields. "Peru is hosting the APEC Leaders' Meeting for the third time this year, after 2008 and 2016," said Ambassador Duclos Parodi. "We are looking forward to hosting the APEC Leaders' Meeting in Korea nex
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Bertoux and Seodaemun-gu Mayor Lee Sung-heon recently held a working-level meeting between the French Embassy in Korea and the Seodaemun-gu Office at the office's conference room to discuss ways to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two organizations. Ambassador Bertoux said, "Expanding relations through cooperation with local governments is the key to diplomacy." "I consider strengthening exchanges with Seodaemun-gu to be the first step in bilateral diplomacy between Korea and France," he said. "We are very pro
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee To enjoy and be inspired by folk paintings, a few thoughts and attitudes can help you. Open mind: When viewing folk paintings, it's important for you to approach them with an open mind and no preconceived notions. You should be ready to accept the message or emotion of the artwork. Free imagination: Folk paintings are often associated with the imagination. You can use your imagination as you look at the artwork and develop the story or emotion of the artwork in your own imagination. Emotional connection: Folk paintings often have an emotional component. To connec
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo LG Water Solutions, LG Chem’s business unit specializing in water treatment and the manufacturer of NanoH2O™ reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, has secured a supply order of seawater RO (SWRO) membrane elements through a local EPC for an expansion of a seawater desalination facility at the OCP Jorf Lasfar Complex. Located approximately 20 km south of El-Jadida, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, the site is currently the world’s largest fertilizer complex. LG Water Solutions will supply over 18,000 units of LG SW 440 R high-rejection membranes for the SWRO system w
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seongnam City announced on April 1 that a seven-member delegation from Huizhou, China, led by Party Secretary Yu Gil, visited the city to strengthen cooperation in friendly city exchanges. Seongnam City Mayor Shin Sang-jin held a meeting with Yu Gil, Party Secretary of Huizhou Municipal Committee, at the city hall, and discussed ways to revitalize exchanges between the two cities. The Huizhou delegation showed interest in Seongnam's Pangyo Techno Valley and discussed future industries such as information and communication technology (IT), biotechnology (BT), and
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Governor Kim Tae-hum of Chungcheongnam-do met with Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming at the reception room of the provincial government office on April 1. The two exchanged pleasantries and words of understanding on local government exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, confirming their friendship. Governor Kim said, "Korea and China are the closest neighbors and inseparable. I know more about Chinese history than Korean history because I have read a lot of books about Chinese history since I was a child." "Chungnam is the closest province
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Gyeongbuk (North Gyeongsang Province) Governor Lee Cheol-woo met with Caroline Kennedy, the honorary president of the JFK Foundation (currently the U.S. ambassador to Australia), who visited Hahoe Village on March 28. The governor had a luncheon at Hakrokjeongsa with Kennedy and her husband, the eldest grandson of the head family of Hahoe Village, and chairman of Andong Medical Foundation. "Hahoe Village was visited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999, and I have always wanted to visit it," said Kennedy, who showed a lot of interest in traditional culture such as K
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan engaged in talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in Washington, D.C., on March 26, focusing on enhancing the partnership between the US and Kazakhstan in political, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres. The meeting underscored the mutual interest in bolstering cooperation between the two nations. Both officials highlighted their dedication to enhancing investment opportunities and promoting diversification within Kazakhstan’s economy. Key discussion topics included the Glo
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan met with Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, and President of the Assembly of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) on March 28 in Boao, China. Tokayev expressed gratitude to Ban Ki-moon for the invitation to take part in the BFA and noted his considerable contribution to the world community as one of the best Secretaries-General in UN history. Ban Ki-moon emphasized the substantial contribution of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the development of inte
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Mayor Lee Min-geun of Ansan City, Gyeonggi Province, met with German Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Georg Schmidt on March 27 to exchange views on German immigration policy and Ansan's foreigner policy. Germany enacted the Immigration Act in 2005 and established the Federal Office for Immigration and Refugees to carry out immigration policies in organic cooperation with local governments. In particular, in recent years, the country has been actively allowing the immigration of highly skilled global talents to solve the problem of shortage of skilled manpow