By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) will host the 2025 Seoul Welcome Week for eight days from April 25 to May 2 to welcome foreign tourists. This event takes place in conjunction with the peak spring tourism season, with Japan’s Golden Week (April 26 to May 6) and China’s Labor Day holidays (May 1 to May 5). In cooperation with the Seoul Tourism Association, the SMG will operate the “Seoul Travel Station”, a welcome center for foreign tourists in Myeong-dong for eight days from April 25 to May 2. Frequently visited by many foreign tourists, the tourist center
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The opening ceremony for the 2025-26 East Asian Cultural City was held on April 25, 2025 at Anseong Art Hall in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do Province, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said. The event showcased the traditional performing arts troupe Anseong Namsadang Baudeogi's pungmulnori (folk music and dance), Chinese dragon dance and Japanese noh play. Congratulatory performances were also done by an Anseong children's choir, musical group Harmonize and singer Gummy. Beginning with the ceremony, Anseong hosted events featuring the three countries such as a
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Marie Antonia von Schönburg), hosted the 4th Ausbildung Graduation Ceremony, in collaboration with BMW Group Korea, MAN Truck & Bus Korea, Mercedes-Benz Korea, and Volkswagen Group Korea, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on April 24, 2025. The Ausbildung program, introduced by KGCCI in Korea, combines 70% practical industry training with 30% theoretical education. Upon successful completion, trainees are awarded an official Ausbildung certificate jointly issued by the Association of German
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, who is on an official visit to Vietnam, met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong on April 16. Prime Minister Chinh thanked Minister Cho for attending the 4th P4G Summit on behalf of the ROK government and expressed his appreciation for the significant contributions of Korean companies in Vietnam to bilateral economic cooperation and Vietnam's economic development, and looked forward to expanding investment by Korean companies in areas such as semiconductors and industria
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, who is on an official visit to Vietnam (April 15-17), held the Second Foreign Ministerial Dialogue and Working Dinner with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi on April 15, where they discussed ways to develop bilateral relations in all fields and regional and international issues, including the North Korea issue. The two ministers reaffirmed their strong commitment to developing a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and decided to strengthen cooperation in
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with a seven-member delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives Congressional Study Group on Korea (CSGK), co-chaired by Representatives Ami Bera and Jennifer Kiggans on April 14. They exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, including the U.S.-ROK alliance and economic cooperation, and regional affairs, including military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. Minister Cho welcomed the bipartisan House of Representatives CSGK delegation to South Korea and recognized that the CSGK has been a strong supporter of the U
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee A special art sharing event was held at Pohang Prison in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province on April 11. Thirty-two K-folk painting artists representing Korea donated 34 traditional folk paintings to help stabilize the emotions of the inmates and educate them. The donation event was organized at the initiative of Lee Jon-young, chairman of the World Peace Art Exhibition Organizing Committee, and Kim Dong-hyun, Commissioner of the Daegu Regional Correctional Office, and was attended by major figures in the folk painting world, including Professor Lee Mi-hyung of Myongji Un
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul signed a joint statement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Syria with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Damascus on April 10, establishing official diplomatic relations between the two countries. The establishment of diplomatic relations with Syria, which remained the only unestablished diplomatic relationship after the establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba last year, marks a historic milestone for South Korea, which has established diplomatic relations with all 191 UN
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Kang In-sun, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, hosted a tour of Korea’s leading defense industry facilities for the foreign diplomatic corps in Korea from April 2 to 3, inviting diplomats from 15 countries to observe Korea’s advanced defense manufacturing capabilities. During the two-day event, the delegation visited major defense production sites including: - Hyundai Rotem in Changwon, a manufacturer of K2 tanks, - Hanwha Aerospace in Changwon, a manufacturer of K9 self-propelled howitzers, and - Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in S
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Busan City Mayor Park Hyung-joon met with Nepalese Ambassador to Korea Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe at the International Conference Room of City Hall on April 2 to discuss mutual cooperation and development plans. At the meeting, Mayor Park said, “Busan City and Busan Technopark are promoting an important project to transfer Busan's advanced technology to Nepal and contribute to the development of Nepal's technology through the creation of an artificial intelligence (AI) technology support center in Nepal and a project to train artificial intelligence (AI) professiona
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels on April 2, and exchanged views on ▴ ROK-NATO cooperation, ▴ major security issues such as Russo-North Korean military cooperation, and ▴ the global security situation. Secretary General Rutte expressed his pleasure at Minister Cho's participation in the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting and emphasized that NATO attaches great importance to cooperation with its partners in the region, including South Korea, Japan, Austral
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) announced that it held a 'Korea-Ukraine Reconstruction Cooperation Forum' with a delegation from the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Trade Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on March 25. The forum was co-hosted by the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Korea-Ukraine New Building Association (KUNBA). The forum was attended by Yoon Jin-sik, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, Valeriy Korol, Vice Chairman of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lee Yang-gu, Chair
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko and the Ukrainian Economic Mission met with Incheon City Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok at Incheon City Hall on March 24 to discuss cooperation. The meeting was aimed at expanding economic exchanges and laying the groundwork for practical cooperation between Incheon and Ukraine. The Ukrainian economic mission consisted of government officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, including Iryna Tsymbal, chairman of the President Yushchenko Foundation, and Viktoriia Parchevska, Chief Specialist of I
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held bilateral talks and a luncheon on March 22 with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya from 11:20-13:10 on the sidelines of the ROK-China-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Tokyo, Japan. At the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations, North Korea and nuclear issues, and regional and global issues. Following the bilateral meeting that took place on the occasion of Foreign Minister Iwaya's visit to South Korea in January, the two ministers appreciated the fact that the foreign ministers' meeting was held again afte
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The 2025 Korea Traditional Arts Festival, a festival that reinterprets traditional arts with a contemporary perspective and connects cultural values between East and West, past and present, was held at the Calligraphy Museum of the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul through March 18, hosted by Korea Traditional Arts Inheritance Association (Chairman Kim Moo-ho). The event rediscovered the beauty of Korean traditional culture and demonstrated how art can be reinterpreted and expanded in the modern world as an artistic platform where tradition and modernity, the