By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Marie Antonia von Schönburg), in cooperation with the Gwangju Free Economic Zone Authority, held the KGCCI Half-Year Economic Outlook 2025 on August 28 at the Four Seasons Hotel. The event, organized to provide exclusive insights into the developments of Korean-German business relations in these challenging times, drew the participation of more than 80 key officials, business leaders and experts from Korean and German companies and institutions. Speakers included Joern Beissert, Depu
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 Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Nurgali Arystanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Korea, to the Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. When people voted in the 1995 national referendum (Aug. 30) to adopt a new Constitution, they laid the cornerstone of modern statehood. More than just a legal charter, the Constitution of Kazakhstan is marked by its humanist focus. Article 1 declares the country a democratic, secular, legal, and social state, in which the highest values are the individual, their life, rights, and freedoms.
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young met with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing at the Seoul Government Complex on August 27 and exchanged views on bilateral relations and Korean Peninsula issues, the Ministry of Unification announced. Minister Jeong urged Ambassador Dai to develop more mature bilateral relations, taking advantage of the upcoming APEC summit in Gyeongju. He specifically explained the South Korean government's policy framework for inter-Korean trust-building and peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, emphasizing China's construc
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced to roll out Korea’s first driverless autonomous shuttle, equipped with next-generation automotive design and advanced self-driving technology, along the Cheonggyecheon Stream as early as late September. The new shuttle was developed and built using domestic technology by Korea’s leading autonomous driving company Autonomous A2Z. Designed specifically for autonomous operation, the vehicle has no driver’s seat or steering wheel. The vehicle is a small bus (i.e., 11-seater with 9 seats) designed from the ground up
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Executive Vice Chairman Chung Kisun met with TerraPower leadership, including chairman and founder Bill Gates in Seoul, Korea, HD Hyundai announced on August 22. The group reviewed progress on supply chain expansion and the commercialization of Natrium reactors, as well as discussed future cooperation opportunities. The meeting between the company leaders marked a first reunion in five months since initial talks in the United States last March. During the previous meeting, HD Hyundai and TerraPower signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand the global
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo LG Electronics (LG) is ushering in a new era in the European smart home appliance market with the introduction of its groundbreaking AI platform, LG ThinQ AI. Taking center stage at the company’s IFA 2025 exhibit, LG ThinQ AI integrates the ThinQ UP and ThinQ Care services to provide a personalized, ever-evolving customer experience along with proactive appliance management. This innovative platform advances LG’s core product technologies through AI and usage data analysis, optimizing the product experience and enhancing customers’ overall quality of life. LG w
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The plenary session of the APEC High-Level Dialogue on Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs), chaired by Minister CHAE Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea, concluded on August 27, 2025, as a resounding success. The plenary session was held in Gyeongju under the theme, “Cultural and Creative Industries: New Horizons for Prosperity.” This inaugural dialogue saw robust attendance from high-level policymakers, including Minister Toshiko Abe of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young This year marks the 80th anniversary of liberation, a deeply meaningful occasion. Over the past eight decades, the Republic of Korea overcame poverty through industrialization and transcended authoritarianism through democratization. These two pillars have been recorded as the ‘century of the nation’ and the ‘century of the people’. Yet today, we stand before a new question: “What should the Republic of Korea strive for in the future?” The national vision set forth by the Lee Jae-myung administration is clear: “A nation where the people are the masters, the R
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee LG Electronics (LG) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UK-based Octopus Energy Group Ltd. (Octopus Energy) on Sept. 2 to strengthen its presence in Europe’s clean technology sector. The partnership will combine LG’s advanced, high-efficiency heating and cooling solutions with Octopus Energy’s AI-driven energy software platform, Kraken, to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy in Europe. The MOU signing ceremony took place on August 28 (local time) at Octopus Energy’s London headquarters. Attendees included Thomas Yoon, head of LG’s Over
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee POSCO Group, South Korea’s global leader in steel production, and India’s leading steelmaker JSW Steel have signed a non-binding Heads of Agreement (HoA) on August 18 to jointly explore setting up a 6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant in India. The agreement marks a significant step toward deepening strategic collaboration between two of the world’s most respected steel companies. This HoA builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both parties in October 2024 and outlines the broad framework for the proposed 50:50 joint ventur
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Environment held the 8th Korea-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Joint Committee on Water Resources Cooperation at the Han River Flood Control Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on August 27. In February 2024, the UAE, under the leadership of the President, launched the “Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative” to address the global water shortage crisis, devoting national capacity to developing innovative and sustainable water management solutions and strengthening international cooperation. In April of the same year, record rainfall caused damage in the Dubai area,
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Foreign card spending in the country in the second quarter of the year broke a record high thanks to the popularity of Korean content, Korea.net reported on Aug. 28.. The Bank of Korea on Aug. 26 released data saying domestic card use by non-residents rose 38.2% from the first quarter to USD 3.79 billion (KRW 5.28 trillion). The previous record was USD 3.38 billion in the fourth quarter last year. The ratio of card use in the country by non-residents to overseas card spending by residents was also 69%, the highest since the fourth quarter of 2016. Domestic medi
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Folk painting is a traditional art form embodying the Korean people's aesthetic sensibility and spirit of daily life. It fills the murals of ancient palaces and the folding screens of folk museums, and today, 200,000 folk painters wield their brushes. Yet, folk painting is nowhere to be found in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's (MCST) Cultural Arts Promotion Act. While crafts are included, and even ‘comics’ are covered, folk painting doesn't even have a name in the legal framework. Is this truly normal? The MCST proclaims the globalization of K-C
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Bill Gates, founder and Chairman of TerraPower, recently met in Seoul to discuss strategic cooperation for the development and commercialization of the Natrium® technology by TerraPower, of which SK is an investor, the group said on August 27. Also attending the dinner were Ahn Jae-yong, CEO of SK bioscience; Kim Moohwan, Head of the Energy Solution Business at SK Innovation; Chey Yoon-Jung, Head of Business Development at SK Biopharm; and Chris Levesque, President and CEO of TerraPower. At the meeting, Chairman Chey commented