By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo NCSOFT announced that its new MMORPG, AION 2, will officially launch in Korea and Taiwan on November 19. Pre-registration opened on September 11 through the official website and major app marketplaces. Players can reserve server and character names starting October 16, and pre-create customized characters beginning November 16, ahead of launch. All pre-registered players will receive a Pet Selection Box (Zaif/Papis) and a 100,000 Kinah Box. Those who register by September 14 will also be entered into a drawing for tickets to G-STAR 2025. During the AION2NIGHT l
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Seoul (Ambassador Saeed Koozechi) hosted a reception to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the National Day of Iran at Lotte Hotel Seoul in Sogong-dong on Feb. 8. "Forty-five years ago at this time, the Islamic Revolution triumphed in Iran, and the Islamic Revolution, under the leadership of Imam Khomeini, succeeded in introducing a system based on religious democracy in the social and political spheres through the power of the Iranian people themselves," said Ambassador Saeed Koozechi. "Since then, Iran has been co
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Venerable Chief Monk Hyangdeok (Park Seong-eok in Korean name) of the Cheonmansa Buddhist Temple in Ulsan is striving to promote world peace and cultural exchanges between Korea and foreign countries while attending major cultural events with foreign ambassadors in Korea. Ven. Chief Monk Hyangdeok, who is honorary consular of culture and economy of the Embassy of Ethiopia and UN NGO World Peace Ambassador, always prays for good luck and good health for all people he met, including foreign ambassadors, staff members of foreign embassies and their family members
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The number of Starbucks stores in South Korea ranks fourth in the world, after the United States, China and Japan. According to Starbucks' global website on Feb. 12, the number of Starbucks stores in South Korea totaled 1,893 at the end of last year, up 116 from the previous year. That's just eight fewer than Japan (1,901), which has 2.5 times the population of South Korea. The number of Starbucks stores in South Korea has steadily increased by more than 100 each year, from 1,508 in 2020 to 1,639 in 2021 and 1,777 in 2022. In Japan, the number of Starbucks stor