Diplomacy Journal Lee Sung Jun | On Friday, April 17, 2026, the Embassy of Peru in the Republic of Korea organized a tribute to Mario Vargas Llosa — Nobel Prize in Literature laureate in 2010 — on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of his birth. The event took place at the Instituto Cervantes Seoul, located in the heart of the Myeongdong district, drawing a full auditorium of diplomats, academics, local media professionals, and students from across Latin America and Korea. The evening opened with a screening of a fragment of the documentary A Personal Journey Through 'I Dedicate My Silence'
On January 15, two men— President Lee Jae-myung and Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi's Executive Affairs Authority—shook hands in the reception room of Cheong Wa Dae. Held before a wall covered with traditional symbols for longevity emblazoned in gold, their meeting reaffirmed a “century-long companionship,” one that began around 16 years earlier when a delegation led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) won a contract to build a nuclear power plant complex in Barakah, UAE, in 2009. Chairman Khaldoon’s smile in the photograph is genuine; he considers Korea his “second