By Diplomacy Journal Lee Gil-ju First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoon-joo, currently visiting the United States, held a with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at the US Department of State on December 1 (local time), and exchanged views on follow-up measures to the ROK-US summit. This Vice-Ministerial Meeting marked the first high-level meeting between the two countries since the two leaders' mutual visits in August and October. The two Vice Ministers commended the adoption of the Joint Fact Sheet (November 14), which outlines the agreements reached between the two leader
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Gil-ju Jeong Kwang-yong, Director-General for African and Middle Eastern Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held the 8th Korea-Iran Director-General-Level Policy Consultation with Ali Asghar Mohammadi, Director-General for Asia and the Pacific Affairs at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Tehran on November 30, local time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Both sides recognized the holding of the 8th Consultation, held just six months after the 7th, as a testament to the efforts of both foreign ministries to sustain friendly relations. They exchan
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Gil-ju Park Il, the Seoul government representative for the protection of overseas Koreans in Cambodia, visited Sihanoukville, a major hotspot for online scams in Cambodia, on November 27. He met with Police Chief Sar Ratha and Governor Mang Sineth to discuss responses to online scams and cooperation measures against Korean nationals. He was also accompanied by Korean police officers from the "Korea-Cambodia Joint Task Force for Korean Nationals" (abbreviated as the "Korea Task Force"). Park stated that the Korean government is paying particular attention to the ongoin
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Gil-ju Korea and Laos have reached an agreement to deepen cooperation in countering transnational crime and expand collaboration into future-oriented economic sectors during vice-ministerial talks held in Seoul on November 24. Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo and Laotian Deputy Foreign Minister Phongsamouth Anlavan shared concerns over the growing threat of online scam operations and cross-border cyber-enabled criminal networks. Both sides agreed to strengthen investigative cooperation and enhance operational channels between law enforcement authorities. Vice Minist
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Gil-ju The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the "Korea-Laos Future Forum" in Seoul on November 24, 2025. Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Laos, the forum consisted of three sessions: "Session 1: Partners for Peace and Stability," "Session 2: A Springboard for Growth and Innovation," and "Session 3: Facilitators for Achieving Dreams and Hopes." Approximately 80 participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, experts, businesspeople, and academia, attended. In her opening r
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Gil-ju The Governments of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Commission convened the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) Principals’ Meeting in Brussels, Belgium on November 18, 2025, on the margins of EU Raw Materials Week. The Principals’ Meeting brought together senior officials to advance joint efforts to build secure, resilient, and sustainable critical minerals supply chains, which are essential for advanced in
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Gil-ju The 10th International Conference on the Law of the Sea, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and co-organized by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the Korean Society of International Law (KSIL), will take place in Seoul between November 18 and 19, under the theme of “Celebrating a Decade of Dialogue: The Expanding Role of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Law of the Sea Institutions.” Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the conference will start with welcoming remarks by Dr. Kim Jina