By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee A delegation from the Committee of Family and Women of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which is directly under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, visited the Seoul Foundation of Women & Family (CEO Park Jung-sook) on Feb. 6 to share examples of Seoul's women and family policies and discuss ways to cooperate between the two organizations. The meeting was held at 4 p.m. at Seoul Women's Plaza and was attended by Park Jung-sook, CEO of the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family (SFWF), and Ms. Mukharam Nurmatova, Deputy Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Women's
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing on Feb. 6 and exchanged views on bilateral relations between South Korea and China and Korean Peninsula issues. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cho met with Ambassador Dai Bing at the government building in Seoul, and after assessing that the bilateral relationship has been steadily developing with positive exchanges, he said, "Let us continue to work closely together to achieve more substantial and fruitful results this year." "To this end, I expect the Chinese Embassy in Korea, unde
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Unification Minister Kim Young-ho met with acting US ambassador to South Korea Joseph Yun on Feb. 4, the ministry said. Kim and Yun exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and discussed cooperation between the two countries. Kim welcomed the appointment of Acting Ambassador Yun, an expert on the Korean Peninsula and North Korea, and congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President James David Vance on their recent inauguration. He asked the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to play an active role in the process of cooperation on unification and N
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Israeli Ambassador to Korea Rafael Harpaz in his office at Seoul City Hall to discuss cooperation measures between major cities of the two countries on Feb. 3, 2025. Ambassador Rafael Harpaz, who took office in October of last year, is a diplomacy expert who served as Ambassador to Azerbaijan and the Philippines and Director General of the Asia-Pacific Affairs Bureau of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mayor Oh said, “Seoul and Tel Aviv, which are friendly cities, are not only the centers of the two countries in terms
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul (Co-head of the Preparatory Office for APEC 2025), Gyeongsangbuk-do Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo, and Gyeongju City Mayor Joo Nak-young signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) among the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Gyeongju City for cooperation on preparation for the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (2025 AELM) on January 22, 2025, at the Government Complex Seoul Annex. By signing the MOU, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the provincial and municipal governments hosting the 2025 AEL
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Jongno-gu Saemaul Association (Chairman Park Nae-chun) successfully held its 2025 General Assembly on the afternoon of Jan. 23 at the 4th floor of the Ewha-dong Community Center. The general meeting was attended by about 70 delegates, including Chairman Park Nae-chun, Jongno-gu Mayor Chung Moon-heon, Jongno-gu Council Chairman Ra Do-gyun, and Jongno-gu Council members, as well as about 100 local residents and officials of the Saemaul movement. The general assembly received reports on the main business performance and revenue and expenditure settlement for 202
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation held its regular board meeting at the Oxford Palace Hotel on Dec. 17, 2024, electing director Kim Jun-bae as the new chairman of the board and beginning discussions to normalize the foundation. The board meeting was presided over by Vice Chairman Choi Il-soon, and was attended by directors Kim Jun-bae and Park Yun-sook, fulfilling the quorum requirement. Despite the absence of Chairman Bae Mu-han and his non-cooperation with the request to convene the board, the board meeting was convened in accordance with the articles
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with the new Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), General Xavier Brunson, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), on Jan. 22 and exchanged views on the U.S.-ROK alliance and North Korea issues. Minister Cho congratulated Commander Brunson on his appointment and urged him to contribute to maintaining and strengthening the ironclad U.S.-ROK alliance and a robust joint defense posture as the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea. He also called on the commander to work closely with the U.S. and South Korea to ensure t
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima on Jan. 20 in his office at Seoul City Hall to exchange New Year's greetings and discuss mutual cooperation between the two countries on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. Ambassador Koichi Mizushima, who served as the Consul General of the Embassy of Japan in Korea from 2017 to 19 and was appointed as the Ambassador of Japan to Korea in May 24, met with Mayor Oh once in August last year. “If Korea and Japan, which
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Jeju Governor Oh Young-hoon met with new Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Seoul on Jan. 15 to discuss ways to strengthen multifaceted exchange and cooperation between Jeju and Chinese local governments. This was Ambassador Dai Bing's first official meeting with the head of a metropolitan organization after his appointment, and the meeting lasted for about an hour. “Jeju is preparing to declare carbon neutrality in 2035 and transition to a hydrogen-based society,” Oh said during the meeting, adding, ”I hope that Jeju
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Kim Ki-Chong is an artist who has gained attention in the Korean art world for his contemporary interpretation of the moon jar, a symbol of traditional Korean ceramics. His works are considered to have a mesmerizing power to stimulate the inner feelings and emotions of Koreans beyond the mere shape of the pottery. As a specially selected artist for the National Exhibition, his skills are widely recognized. Kim has developed his own unique style of painting that harmoniously fuses tradition and modernity, using a variety of materials and techniques to maximize the
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Nine foreign promoters of Korean culture on Jan. 7 visited Muju-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Province, to get a taste of the country's winter, the Korea.net reported. Korea.net Honorary Reporters and K-influencers shared their experience in a snowy landscape despite the cold temperature of below 0 degrees Celsius. The nine were divided into two teams, with one group going to Muju Deogyugsan Resort to hit the slopes. Though it was a weekday, the venue was filled with the visitors' energy. Those trying skiing for the first time quickly adapted thanks to expert guidance
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Joseph Yun, Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, at the U.S. Embassy in Korea visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Jan. 14 and met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul and First Secretary Kim Hong-gyun. Minister Cho received Acting Ambassador Yun at the Foreign Ministry building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and asked him to work hard to advance the Korea-U.S. alliance, the ministry said. Vice Minister Kim also met with Ambassador Yun and exchanged views on topics including bilateral relations and North Korea. “I welcome the appointment of Acting Ambassador Yun, a
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik met with Indian Ambassador to Korea Amit Kumar on Jan. 9 and asked him to “spread the word of Korea's stability to the Indian people, businessmen and diplomats who are investing in Korea.” “I am aware of the international community's concern about the emergency martial law situation, but our people have a strong DNA of overcoming crises, including colonization, war, division, and dictatorship,” Woo said when he met with Kumar at the National Assembly earlier in the day. “Together in the G20, Korea and India are very important
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Cuba has appointed its first ambassador to South Korea, 11 months after the two countries established diplomatic relations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on July 7 that a ceremony was held at the Government Complex in Seoul, attended by Acting President Choi Sang-mok, to enact the credentials of ambassadors to South Korea, including the Cuban ambassador. Acting President Choi Sang-mok accepted Letters of Credence from nine Ambassadors-Designate to the Republic of Korea at the Government Complex Seoul on Jan. 7, 2025. The nine Ambassadors-Designate ar