 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung visited the Seo Jae-pil Memorial Hall (Chairman Choi Jeong-su, Seo Jae-pil Memorial Foundation) in Philadelphia, USA, on August 27. They toured the memorial hall facilities and encouraged foundation officials. The Seo Jae-pil Memorial Hall was established in 1990 to widely promote Dr. Seo Jae-pil's (1977, Grand Order of Merit for National Foundationr) noble achievements and spirit of patriotism and devotion to his people within American society. The Seo Jae-pil Memorial Foundation purchased the house where
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first phone call with Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Zhaparov since taking office on August 28. President Lee expressed his gratitude for President Zhaparov's congratulatory message upon his inauguration and for once again extending congratulations during this call. The two leaders agreed to cooperate to further deepen and develop the “Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership” between the two countries on the occasion of the launch of the new administration, amid a recent trend of increasing trade and people-to-people exchanges bet
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young The central government and some local governments are expanding visa-free entry for Chinese tourists and even offering subsidies funded by taxes to attract more Chinese tourists. While citing the recovery of the tourism industry post-COVID-19 as justification, this amounts to nothing more than reckless gambling using local finances as collateral. China has long been central to Korea's tourism market, and visa-free expansion could temporarily inject vitality into aviation, lodging, and food services. However, increased tourist numbers do not automatically tran
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung attended the ‘Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable- Manufacturing Renaissance Partnership’ held at a hotel in Washington D.C., U.S., on August 25 (local time), the Presidential Office announced. Held to coincide with President Lee's first visit to the U.S., the event was attended by 16 prominent Korean business leaders with significant cooperative ties to the U.S. across various sectors. They included Ryu Jin, Chairman of the Korea Economic Association; Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics; Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK; Chung Eui-su
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young The first summit between South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump, held at the Oval Office of the White House on August 25 (local time), lasted about 2 hours and 20 minutes. The summit began amid tension due to Trump's sudden remarks, but soon shifted to a scene of mutual trust and humor, effectively solidifying the alliance. Prior to the summit, Trump expressed concern on his social media, comparing the political situation in South Korea to a “purge,” and even mentioned the raid on a church and allegations of information gathering a
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Prime Minister Kim Min-seok attended the opening ceremony of the 2025 Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Global Cooperation Conference, hosted by the Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Committee, on August 22 in Seoul. The event was attended by over 150 participants, including ambassadors and diplomatic corps members from 78 countries, representatives of international climate-related organizations, businesses, and civil society figures. In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Kim emphasized that the Lee Jae-myung administration will achieve both carbon neutral
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting Japan, emphasized on August 23 that “South Korea and Japan are the best partners for cooperation in various fields, such as society, culture, and the environment, in ways that are mutually beneficial and helpful.” Following his summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on the same day, President Lee stated during a joint press conference, “Since taking office, I have consistently emphasized that South Korea and Japan are neighbors sharing the same bac
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Prime Minister Kim Min-seok held a luncheon meeting with Bill Gates, Chairman of the Gates Foundation, and discussed topics such as continuing global health contributions, inviting the chairman to attend the 2026 World Bio Summit, expanding cooperation with Korean companies and strengthening the role of Korea as a hub for global bio talent development on August 21. Prime Minister Kim welcomed the chairman's visit to Korea, highly evaluating the Gates Foundation's contributions to international health and expressing his gratitude for its cooperation with Korea
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with Bill Gates, Chairman of the Gates Foundation, and said on August 21, “I respect public activities for the Earth and its people,” adding, “The South Korean government will also do its best to find ways to participate.” On the same day, President Lee met with Gates, who was visiting South Korea, and discussed global health cooperation, AI future industries, and small modular reactors (SMRs), according to a briefing by Kang Yu-jung, spokesperson for the Presidential Office. According to Kang, President Lee praised the significanc
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung and First lady Kim Hea-kyung held a social gathering at Sangchunjae at the Blue House on August 12 with Vietnamese Party Secretary General To Lam and his spouse, who were on a state visit to South Korea. This was the first official event held at Sangchunjae since the Lee Jae-myung administration took office, and hosting a state guest at Sangchunjae is considered the utmost courtesy. Notably, First Lady Ngo Phuong Ly attended the social gathering wearing a hanbok (traditional Korean attire) gifted by First Lady Kim Hea-kyung, and repeat
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam, who was on a state visit to South Korea, at the Government Complex Seoul on August 11. The two sides exchanged views on bilateral economic cooperation, cooperation in strategic areas, scientific and technological cooperation, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. Prime Minister Kim welcomed the Secretary-General, who is the first Vietnamese Party Secretary-General to visit South Korea in 11 years and
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary Jerry Pillay and a delegation from the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) in his office on Aug. 11, 2025. This meeting commemorated the long history of solidarity between the WCC and the Korean church and discussed future directions for exchange and cooperation. From the WCC, General Secretary Jerry Pillay and International Director Peter Prove attended. From the National Council of Churches in Korea, General Secretary Kim Jong-saeng and President Cho Sung-am attended
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union (JKPU), the counterpart of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union (KPU), on July 30, 2025. Former Prime Minister Suga has served as chairman of the JKPU since March 2023. He was accompanied on his visit by Akihisa Nagashima, Secretary-General of the JKPU. Joining the KPU were Vice Speaker Joo Ho-young, who serves as the KPU's chairman, and Secretary-General Min Hong-chul of the Democratic Party of Korea. President Lee expressed
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first summit phone call with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev since taking office and discussed ways to expand cooperation between the two countries on July 24. President Lee expressed his gratitude for President Mirziyoyev’s letter congratulating him on his inauguration, and proposed, “Korea and Uzbekistan have maintained close cooperation as a ‘special strategic partnership’ and will continue to take this relationship to the next level.” In response, President Mirziyoyev said, “I have a special affection for Korea,” and “I
 
								
				By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Every day, we pass through a landscape of fierce words and division. Politics puts more weight on blame than responsibility, and those who are called leaders only talk about ‘strategies’ to defeat their opponents rather than the people. In the midst of this, I say, “This is a time when prayer is needed.” However, true prayer is not a monologue to heaven, but a heart attitude for our neighbors, and it should be the starting point of practice to reflect on my thoughts and actions for someone other than myself. Prayer is ‘courage’ for the weak. Even at this mome
 
												 
												 
												 
												 
												