By Lee Kap-soo The Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea (FOMEK) invited Mexican Ambassador to Korea Carlos Penafiel Soto to a meeting of mid-sized businesses held at the Plaza Hotel on Aug. 18 and discussed specific support measures to resolve difficulties and support successful entry of mid-sized companies into Mexico. More than 20 people attended the meeting, including Mexican Ambassador to Korea Carlos Penafiel Soto and senior officials from mid-sized companies such as SIMPAC, Yura Corporation, Infac, Shinsung Delta Tech, Kodako, and Lee Ho-joon, full-time vice chairman of the F
By Lee Kap-soo Ashok Kumar Byanju Shrestha, Mayor of Dhulikhel Municipality of Nepal and Chandra Prakash Gharti, Mayor of Bheri Municipality of Nepal, visited Yangsan City in Gyeongsangnam-do on Aug. 15. International cultural exchanges between Yangsan City and Nepal are opening the door, starting with the two mayors' visits to Yangsan City Council, Tongdosa Temple, and Mitaam temple. On the same day, Nepal's mayors of Dulikel and Bheri and their party members kowtowed three times at the cave hall, which is sealed inside the Mita Cave, also known as Yangsan's Seokguram (Treasure No. 998). They
By Lee Kap-soo President Yoon Suk-yeol arrived in Washington on Aug. 17 (local time) to attend a trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to strengthen security cooperation in the face of North Korea's nuclear threat. The summit will be held at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland on Aug. 18, marking the first time for the three leaders to meet for a trilateral summit. U.S. President Biden proposed the summit when the three leaders met on the margins of a Group of Seven summit in Japan in May as the U.S. pushes to lock in recently imp
By Kim Ji-eun The Korean government handed over emergency relief supplies to the Hawaii state government suffering from damage from the fires on Maui island on August 16. Consul-General of the Republic of Korea to Honolulu Lee Seo Young handed over the Korean government’s emergency relief items, including bottled water, food, blankets, and generators, to Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke at the Hawaii State Capitol in downtown Honolulu at 11:00 on August 16, local time. The fires on Maui island have left 106 people dead, the largest loss of life in Hawaii since it became the 50th state of the Un
By Lee Kap-soo Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), India’s first smart mobility solutions provider and the largest exporter since inception, signed an Asset Purchase Agreement (APA) on Aug. 16 for the acquisition and assignment of identified assets related to General Motors India (GMI)’s Talegaon Plant in Maharashtra. Unsoo Kim, Managing Director and CEO of Hyundai Motor India Ltd., and Asifhusen Khatri, Vice President Manufacturing of General Motors India and General Motors International Operations, participated in the signing ceremony in Gurugram, Haryana. The APA covers the acquisition and
By Lee Kap-soo My fellow Koreans, 7.5 million compatriots living abroad, Today we mark the 78th Liberation Day. I pay tribute to our fallen forebears and patriots who sacrificed and dedicated themselves for our independence. I also wish to express my deep gratitude to their families. Our independence movement was to build a nation that is free and democratic; a nation where the people are its rightful owners; and a nation where freedom, human rights and the rule of law reign supreme. It was not to just reclaim our sovereignty nor to return to monarchy. It was never an attempt to establish a co
By Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended the 78th Liberation Day celebration held at Ewha Womans University's auditorium in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on August 15. More than 2,000 people attended the ceremony, including patriots, independence fighters and bereaved families, major public officials and representatives from all walks of life, diplomatic corps in Korea, and citizens. The celebration was held under the theme of "Great People, Journey to Freedom," with the aim of moving toward greater freedom with great people who have made remarkable developments in v
By Kim Ji-eun Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, who was on a trip to Africa, visited Rwanda from August 11 to 12 and met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda Vincent Biruta on August 12. In the meeting, the two sides extensively discussed a range of issues, including bilateral relations, enhancing substantive cooperation, regional affairs, and ways to cooperate in the international arena. First, the two Foreign Ministers appreciated that the Korea-Rwanda relations have been strengthened, mainly in development cooperation, for the past 60 years since the
외교저널 (Diplomacy Journal) 이준석 기자 | 해양경찰청은 「제1회 해양 국제범죄 예방 포스터 공모전」 최종 수상작 5점을 선정했다고 14일 밝혔다. 「제1회 해양 국제범죄 예방 포스터 공모전」은 지난 5월 22일부터 7월 21일까지 60일간 진행됐으며, 총 211점의 작품이 접수되는 등 국민에게 많은 관심을 받았다. 수상작은 관련 분야 전문가로 구성된 심사위원회가 예비 심사 및 최종 심사를 거쳐 총 5점(최우수 1, 우수 1, 장려 3)을 선발했으며, 해양 국제범죄를 차단하는 역동적인 모습을 표현한 “꼼짝 마! 해양 국제범죄”를 최우수작으로 선정했다. 선정된 수상작에 대해서는 해양경찰청장 상장과 함께 최대 200만 원의 상금이 수여되며, 해양경찰 누리집 및 여객터미널, 해양관광지 등 온·오프라인을 통하여 대국민 홍보자료로 적극 활용될 예정이다. 김종욱 해양경찰청장은“이번 공모전에 참여해 주신 모든 분께 감사드린다”며“해양경찰은 앞으로도 해양 국제범죄의 예방과 근절에 더욱 노력하겠다”라고 말했다. 한편, 수상자들은“이번 공모전에 참여하면서 마약 밀수, 산업기술 유출 등 해
By Kim Ji-eun The Korean government has decided to provide US$2 million in humanitarian assistance for Hawaii to help respond to damage from the fires on Maui island that started on August 8, and informed the Hawaii state government and the United States federal government of its decision. Governor of Hawaii Josh Green extended deep appreciation to the Korean government on behalf of the state of Hawaii for its timely decision to offer aid. The fires, which recorded the largest number of fatalities over the period of the last 100 years of the U.S. history, left 93 people dead and some US$6 bill
By Lee Kap-soo After the official closure of the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree, German members who visited Beopjusa Temple in Songnisan, Boeun, Chungcheongbuk-do, reportedly shaved their heads. According to Songnisan Beopjusa Temple on Aug. 14, about 40 German scout members experienced temple stay at Beopjusa Temple the previous day. German members reportedly made a temple stay reservation at Beopjusa Temple in Songnisan Mountain in February. Monk Hye-woo, head of Neungin Cultural Center, was in charge of the experience event. Monk Hye-woo explained the reason for hitting drums (beopgo)
By Lee Kap-soo In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Korea-Pakistan diplomatic relations, the Pakistani Embassy in Korea held a "Rhythms of Pakistan" concert in collaboration with the National Museum of Korea on Aug. 11, 2023. Some 500 participants, including ambassadors, senior diplomats and staff members of foreign embassies in Korea, and general visitors to the National Museum of Korea, attended the music concert held at the museum in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Delivering welcoming remarks, Ambassador Nabeel Munir of Pakistan to South Korea said, "This concert is designed
By Lee Kap-soo On the occasion of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day in 2023, the government granted special pardons to 2,176 people, including scores of business tycoons and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises, special consideration prisoners. Among the beneficiaries are such conglomerate chairmen as Park Chan-koo, honorary chairman of Kumho Petrochemical Group; Lee Joong-keun, founder of Booyoung Group; and Chong Kun Dang Chairman Rhee Jang-han. The special pardons will legally take effect at the beginning of Aug. 15, the Liberation Day anniversary that commemorates the end of Japan's 1910-
By Kim Ji-eun Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, who was on a visit to Zambia from August 10 to 11, met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanley Kasongo Kakubo on August 10. The two ministers discussed the Korea-Zambia relations, enhancing substantive cooperation, regional affairs, and cooperation in the international arena. Foreign Minister Park said that he was pleased to visit Zambia as the first Korean Foreign Minister to do so since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1990, following the invitation from Foreign Minister Kakubo during their phone c
By Kim Ji-eun The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a launching ceremony for the 2023 Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Youth Mission on August 10 and appointed 26 university (graduate) students nationwide as youth envoys. Through the oath, the Youth Mission strengthened its determination to engage in activities in a sincere and responsible manner. Park Yong-min, a multilateral diplomatic coordinator, stressed in his encouraging speech that the role of young people is important for true peace considering future generations. Starting with a dialogue with the Secretary-General of the Comprehensiv