By Anna Kim The 2023 Hangang River Festival Summer runs from Aug. 4-20 by the river and at eight surrounding parks, the Hangang Project Headquarters of the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Aug. 1 The festival, held four times a year every season, features programs featuring appeal and enjoyment that can only be experienced by the river, the headquarters said. The theme of the summer edition is "Wise summer vacation at the Hangang River" with 24 events including those of culture and performing arts, sports and interactive programs, and leisure and relaxation. The city government aims to of
By Lee Kap-soo Daejeon University (President Nam Sang-ho) LINC 3.0 Project Group, led by Director Lee Young-hwan, announced on Aug. 7 that it recently signed a business agreement with the local company ARAR (Automation Technology Joint Stock Company) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for revitalizing the local economy and supporting the stable growth of young people through mutual exchange and cooperation. Through this agreement, the two organizations will cooperate in various fields, such as △ establishing and operating a shared cooperative network with universities, local companies, and local gov
By Lee Kap-soo | President Yoon Suk-yeol met with a delegation of U.S. House of Representatives on July 31 to exchange opinions on the Korea-U.S. alliance, economic cooperation between the two countries, and regional and international issues. The delegation of U.S. congressmen led by Jason Smith, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee, visited South Korea on the first leg of their four-nation tour of East Asia, Lee Do-woon, a spokesman for the president's office, said in a written briefing. Welcoming the delegation's visit, President Yoon said, "I hope that bot
By Kayla lee At the conclusion of the Holy Mass for World Youth Day, Pope Francis expressed his deep gratitude for every person who made “this grace-filled event” possible and announced South Korea as the next WYD site in 2027. Pope Francis announced on Aug. 6 at the end of the 37th Lisbon event in Portugal that the World Youth Day, the largest faith festival for Catholics, will be held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027. Catholic World Youth Day was last held in Manila, the Philippines in 1995 in Asia, and millions of believers attended the event under the leadership of Pope John Paul II. The Lis
By Lee Kap-soo President Yoon Suk-yeol attended Saemangeum Second Battery Investment Agreement Ceremony held at the Saemangeum Convention Center in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do on Aug. 2. Saemangeum has been emphasized by the President as a place for swift project implementation, and during his candidacy, he referred to it as the future of Jeollabuk-do, the West Coast, and South Korea. Before the investment agreement ceremony, the President visited the exhibition hall to learn about LS, a participating company, and its products. President Yoon engaged in a conversation with LS representatives while ex
By Anna Kim Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin will visit three African countries and Dubai from August 8 to 14, Deputy Spokesperson Ahn Eun-ju of the ministry said on Aug. 3. The purposes of Foreign Minister Park’s visit to Africa are to actively seek support of Africa, where the largest number of the member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is located, for Korea’s bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan, and to discuss how to encourage the participation of African countries’ high-level officials in the Korea-Africa Summit scheduled for next year. Foreign Minister Park w
By Kayla lee President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with Belizean Prime Minister John Briceno in Seoul on Aug. 1, asking for the Central American country's support for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. According to Presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon, both leaders discussed development of bilateral ties and stronger practical cooperation. Prime Minister Briceno visited Korea at the invitation of the Busan city government. Welcoming the Belizean leader on his second trip to the country in two months since the first in May, President Yoon said, "More Korean tourists are visiting Belize,
By Lee Kap-soo Regarding the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree where heat waves are causing a series of heat-activated patients, President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered, "Add a tourism program to make it a memorable event." President Yoon, who is on vacation on Aug. 5, ordered Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min to "add a tourism program to see Korea's industry, culture, history and nature urgently," Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a written briefing. President Yoon requested cooperation from cities and
By Lee Kap-soo Shim Min, governor of Imsil-gun County, Jeollabuk-do, has stepped up as a "global ambassador" to herald his county, Jeollabuk-do and South Korea to participants in the 25th World Scout Jamboree held in Saemangeum, Imsil-gun. Governor Shim welcomed Macedonian teenagers participating in the World Jamboree who visited Imsil-gun for the first time on Aug. 1 and served as a goodwill ambassador to promote Korea, Jeollabuk-do, and Imsil. On this day, 30 Macedonian teenagers visited Imsil Cheese Village and held a "hoho program, rural culture experience." Governor Shim said, "Today, we
By Anna Kim Korea’s Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang and Minister for Trade Dukgeun Ahn met with the House Committee on Ways and Means, led by Congressman Jason Smith, on July 31 in Seoul to discuss the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), CHIPS and Science Act, energy cooperation and other Korea-U.S. industrial and trade issues. Meanwhile, Korea’s Trade, Industry and Energy Vice Minister Jang Young-jin held a briefing session on Korea-U.S. industrial technology R&D on August 1 (local time) in San Francisco and conveyed the Korean government’s stance on international coope
By Kayla lee K-water held a meeting with ambassadors from five countries in the Mekong River basin, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, at the Han River Basin Headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on Aug. 1. At the meeting, K-water shared the current status of projects being pursued in the Mekong River basin, including the expansion of water facilities in Batambang Province, Cambodia, and the establishment of a climate-adaptive flood example and warning system for the Sebanghiyang River basin in Sawanaket, Laos. In addition, they discussed ways to cooperate through t
By Anna Kim The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), dispatched to Canada on July 2 to support the suppression of wildfires therein, left Canada on August 1, local time, and arrived in Korea on August 2 after a month of firefighting operations in the country. Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau made a surprise visit to the KDRT aboard a Korean transport aircraft and extended appreciation to Korea, saying that all Canadians were moved by Korea’s dispatch of the KDRT at a time when Canada was facing difficulties due to its worst-ever wildfires. Taking a tour of the aircraft cabin, the Prime Mi
By Kayla lee The Busan Port Authority (BPA) announced on Aug. 4 that it signed an MOU for logistics-linked cooperation with Ishikawa Prefecture, a port authority at Kanazawa Port in Japan, at the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal in Dong-gu on Aug. 3. Kanazawa Port, located on the west coast of Honshu, Japan, is geographically adjacent to Busan Port and has eight Busan routes per week, and large shippers such as Komatsu, the world's second-largest heavy equipment company, use the route. BPA President Kang Joon-seok said, “Through the signing of this MOU, we will strive to facilitate
By Anna Kim Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, who is on an official visit to Austria (Salzburg) from July 27 to 28 at the invitation of Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg, met with the Austrian Federal Minister on July 27, and had a broad exchange of views on strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, enhancing substantive cooperation in such areas as future industries and economic security, and regional affairs. The two ministers appreciated that high-level exchanges between the two countries have taken place actively, in
By Reporter Anna Kim President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Peter Wennink, the CEO of ASML, a Dutch semiconductor company, on July 28 at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, during his visit to South Korea. This meeting between President Yoon and CEO Wennink is the second one following the bilateral summit between South Korea and the Netherlands in November last year, which aimed to foster cooperation among semiconductor companies. ASML, the world's leading semiconductor lithography equipment manufacturer, had a groundbreaking ceremony for the "ASML Semiconductor Equipment Cluster" in Hwaseong City,