By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first summit on Nov. 1 with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was visiting South Korea as a state guest for the first time in 11 years. The summit focused on establishing a direction for the development of South Korea-China relations that would contribute substantially to the livelihoods of the people of both countries, based on the shared understanding between the two leaders that "people's livelihoods are paramount." The South Korea-China summit featured in-depth discussions on a variety of pending issues, including ways to
By Diplomacy Journal Belarus Correspondent Kim Sun-ah Minsk, the capital of Belarus. For those living here, Lake Zaslavskaye is simply a nearby retreat. However, the lake, nicknamed the "Minsk Sea," has become a magnet for both city dwellers and tourists. Located just 5km from downtown Minsk, the lake offers the perfect escape for those seeking a seaside escape in the city. Lake Zaslavskaye was created in 1956 to prevent flooding and secure water resources. This artificial reservoir, created at the time, has held special significance from its very existence. Covering an area of approximately 3
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Seoul government has decided to expand cooperation in science and technology, focusing on the European Union (EU) and Horizon Europe. Given that both countries are among the fastest-developing countries in the world to enact AI-related legislation, cooperation in the AI sector will be further strengthened. First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Koo Hyuk-chae met with newly appointed EU Ambassador to Korea Hugo Astuto at the Science and Technology Advisory Council in Seoul on Oct. 31 to discuss cooperation in science, technology, and digital technologies betwe
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa held a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who visited POSCO's Pohang Steel Mill, which represents economic cooperation between Korea and Australia, on Oct. 30, 2025. Prime Minister Albanese, who came to Korea on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, visited the Pohang Steel Mill's raw material dock, where he observed the actual use of Australian iron ore and coking coal. POSCO Group began purchasing Australian iron ore in 1971 and has used over 1.5 billion tons of Australian i
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee Latvian Ambassador to Korea Janis Berzins, ambassadors from 13 countries, descendants of independence activists, and Choi Jae-cheon, Chairman of the D.O.F. Organizing Committee, participated in the “2025 DMZ OPEN Peace Walk and Marathon” event on Nov. 1 and 2. The 'DMZ Peace Walk', held on the first day, is an event where participants walk along the Imjin River ecological trail within the Civilian Control Line (CCL) and experience ecological value and the meaning of peace firsthand. At the opening ceremony, six representative participants, including Gyeonggi Prov
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young Prime Minister Kim met with Papua New Guinea Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso, who was in Korea for the APEC Summit, and discussed ways to further develop cooperative relations on Oct. 31. During the meeting, Prime Minister Kim stated, "I hope to further develop diplomatic relations between our two countries and strengthen substantive cooperation. Let's discuss various ways to strengthen cooperation, such as at the Korea-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers' Meeting scheduled for Seoul later this year." Deputy Prime Minister Rosso said, "Korean companies have co
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Goryeong County, North Gyeongsang Province, discussed cultural, tourism, and arts cooperation with the Italian city of Cremona at the Seoul residence of Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto. Cremona, located in Lombardy, Italy, is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and is renowned as the home of the world-renowned Stradivarius violin. Goryeong County has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) on mutual exchange and cooperation with Cremona, in 2014 and 2023. This meeting was attended by approximately ten officials from both countries,
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The final satellite in the ‘425 Reconnaissance Satellite’ program, which is South Korea's first surveillance and reconnaissance satellite project, have launched on October 2 (US time) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA. Hanwha Systems announced that it supplied the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) payload for the program’s fifth satellite, following its contributions to satellites No. 2, 3 and 4. While the program is led by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), Hanwha Sy
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held a summit with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Nov. 2 and agreed to establish a "strategic partnership" between the two countries, deepening cooperation in the areas of economy and security. Following the summit with Prime Minister Wong at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, President Lee issued a joint press release stating, "We agreed that the international order that has supported global growth and prosperity is being shaken, and that strategic cooperation between our two countries is crucial in the face of global ch
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea Cecep Herawan held a meeting at the National Assembly on Nov. 4. Noting that the first bilateral meeting since the inauguration of the two leaders took place in Gyeongju last week, Speaker Woo stated, "The MIKTA (Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey, and Australia) National Assembly Speakers' Meeting will be held in Seoul next week, and I look forward to the visit of House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani to South Korea." Woo continued, "Indonesia has approximately 2,300 Korean
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Republic of Korea H.E. Mr. Salohiddin Kirom to the Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. November 6 is celebrated across Tajikistan as Constitution Day of the Republic of Tajikistan., On November 6, 1994, the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan was adopted through a national referendum. Since then, amendments and additions have been introduced via national referendums on September 26, 1999, June 22, 2003, and May 22, 2016. These changes were dictated by the demands