By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Samsung Electronics announced on Sept. 8 that its 2025 OLED TV (S95F model) has been officially certified as a Real Black display by the Verband der Elektrotechnik (VDE), a leading electrical engineering certification institute in Germany. By meeting the required standards to be genuinely considered Real Black, Samsung has proven that its OLED technology delivers a true black viewing experience. The certification validates the OLED display’s crisp, reflection-free images with near-perfect blacks measured below 0.005 nits in dark environments, as well as black a
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met separately with U.S. Senators Andy Kim (Democrat, New Jersey), Todd Young (Republican, Indiana), and Bill Hagerty (Republican, Tennessee) in Washington on September 10 and 11 (local time), exchanging views on the detention of Korean nationals and measures to improve the visa system to prevent recurrence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on September 12. Minister Cho stated, “Our citizens are deeply concerned about the situation where a large number of our professional personnel, who visited the U.S. to faithfully carry out i
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Minister Bae Kyung-hoon of the Ministry of Science and ICT met with Kazakhstan's Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, in Seoul on September 11 to discuss measures to expand bilateral cooperation in science and technology, including artificial intelligence. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, Kazakhstan has actively engaged with Korea across diverse fields including politics, economy, society, culture, and education, building on multiple rounds of summit diplomacy. In particular, it actively cultivates talent through inter-state e
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened the 2025 meeting of the “Council on Policies on UN Peacekeeping Operations (PKO),” chaired by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina on September 11. The meeting was attended by relevant agencies involved in UN peacekeeping operations, including the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the Korean National Police Agency. Pursuant to Article 16 of the “Act on Participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations,” the PKO Policy Council was established und
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (DPO) at the United Nations, who is visiting South Korea, on September 15. They exchanged views on ways to strengthen South Korea-UN cooperation and the future development direction of UN Peacekeeping Operations (PKO). Minister Cho emphasized Korea's commitment to continue contributing to enhancing the adaptability and effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations as a major troop- and finance-contributing nation. He also called for further strengthening cooperation
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Following a meeting in Gangwon Province on September 12, President Lee Jae-myung visited frontline troops to inspect the military's readiness posture and encourage the soldiers. President Lee visited the Chilsung Observation Post of the Army's 7th Infantry Division in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province. There, he surveyed the area near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and guard posts (GP) while receiving a briefing on the military's readiness posture. He also toured the construction site for state-of-the-art barracks. Expressing hope that soldiers would be able to
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) will hold the 14th Workshop for Overseas Honorary Consuls of the Republic of Korea from September 15 to September 20. Launched in 2010, this Workshop aims so that they can provide more effective support in protecting overseas Koreans and in promoting Korea’s diplomatic activities. This year’s Workshop, the 14th of its kind, will bring together honorary consuls from 12 countries. This six-day event will kick off with a welcome reception, followed by a seminar to share best practices, special lectures on Korea’s economy and se
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Journalists from major media outlets in China will visit the Republic of Korea (ROK) from September 15 to 18 as part of the ROK and Chinese Foreign Ministries’ “program for exchange between ROK and Chinese journalists.” The delegation will be composed of journalists from China’s major media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, People’s Daily, and Global Times. During their stay in Seoul, the Chinese journalists will attend dinner events hosted by officials from the Foreign Ministry, and visit the Journalists Association of Korea, leading Korean media ou
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Sept. 12 that the Directorate of Literacy and National Languages of Senegal, the Institute for Research, Education and Popular Promotion (INEPE) of Ecuador and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) of Thailand were named laureates of the 2025 UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize at a ceremony held on September 8 (local time) at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to celebrate International Literacy Day. This year’s winners include the Directorate of Literacy and National Languages of Sene
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo A lecture by Ambassador Nurgali Arystanov, dedicated to the State of the Nation address of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, “Kazakhstan in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Current Challenges and Solutions through Digital Transformation”, was held in the capital of the Republic of Korea on Sept. 14, 2025. The event was organized with the support of the Secretariat of the Central Asia – Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum. Participants included representatives of academic and business circles, staff of international organizat
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Governor Kim Young-hwan of Chungcheongbuk-do Province met with Jorge Enrique Valerio Hernández, Costa Rican Ambassador to Korea, at the Yeongdong Expo on September 15. They exchanged views on expanding economic and cultural exchange and cooperation between Chungcheongbuk-do and Costa Rica. Through this meeting, Chungcheongbuk-do Province and the Embassy of Costa Rica in Korea agreed to pursue mutual development through continued exchanges. Governor Kim stated, “We will actively strive to expand exchanges and cooperation between Chungcheongbuk-do and Costa Rica