By Reporter Lee jon young Kim Gunn, ROK Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, held talks with U.S. Special Representative for the DPRK Ambassador Sung Kim, and representatives from South Korea and the United States on North Korean nuclear issues in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan on July 21. Both sides strongly condemned the recent series of North Korea's illegal nuclear and missile threats and provocations, which have escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. Furthermore, they acknowledged the efforts of the U.S. and South Korea to str
Foreign Minister Park Jin held a dialogue session in a town hall meeting format with the regular course students (total of 38) from the 10th Diplomatic Candidates Training Program* at the 18th-floor Seohee Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 21. Minister Park emphasized that South Korea bears a historic mission to contribute to the freedom, peace, and prosperity of the international community as a global pivotal country at the critical turning point of a significant era. Minister Park reminded the candidates that South Korea is ranked as the world's 10th largest economy, 6th in com
By Reporter | Lee jon young The trilateral summit meeting among South Korea, the United States, and Japan will be held in the United States in August. The presidential office announced on July 20, "The specific date and location will be announced shortly after coordination among the three countries." President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will participate in the 'South Korea-U.S.-Japan Summit Meeting,' scheduled to take place on August 18 (local time) at the 'Camp David' presidential retreat near Washington, Maryland, USA. The three countri
By Reporter Lee jon young The Armistice Agreement, which had been held by the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission for 70 years since the ceasefire, is now in the hands of Gyeonggi Province. On July 19, Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province participated in the "Armistice Agreement Handover Ceremony" held at Gallery Greaves within Paju Camp Greaves, where he received a copy of the Armistice Agreement from Ivo Burgener, the Swiss representative of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. Governor Kim said, "I am delighted that Gyeonggi Province has received the copy of the Armistice A
By Reporter Lee jon young There is growing international interest in Gangwon State's excellent policies and successful cases. Gangwon State and the KOICA under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are jointly conducting an "International Training Program for Future Rural Development in Vietnam" from July 17 to 29 for two weeks at the International Trade and Training Center in Korea. During this training, 20 Vietnamese government officials, including members from the Tỉnh Thanh Hóa Province and Lạng Sơn Province, will visit Gangwon State. They will learn about policies for future rural development u
By Reporter Kayla lee South Korea and Pakistan are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2023. However, it is a reality that bilateral exchanges between the two countries have been rather limited despite the excellent relations. With a distinguished background as a veteran diplomat who served at the United Nations, the appointment of Nabeel Munir as the Pakistani Ambassador to South Korea is seen as a highly positive step, and it is expected to further strengthen the friendly relations between the two nations. From the 5th century BC to the 2nd centur
By Reporter Lee jon young President Yoon Suk-yeol and the First Lady visited the US Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) named Kentucky, which was docked at the Busan Naval Operations Base on July 19. The President's spokesperson, Lee Do-woon, stated in a written briefing, "President Yoon's visit to the ballistic missile submarine is the first of its kind for a foreign head of state, including ally nations. It was planned to demonstrate President Yoon's determination to achieve 'peace through strength' based on the solid South Korea-US alliance." This visit to a US nuclear submarine i
By Reporter Lee jon uoung Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Samtan Art Mine, the first cultural and artistic mine in South Korea, attempts to explore a meeting with the "Africa Primitive Art" with contemporary Korean artists. Organized by Samtan Art Mine and sponsored by Jeongseon County and Jeongamsa Temple, the exhibition titled "Contemporary Art Inspiration from African Art" will be showcased at the Samtan Art Mine Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) until August 25. Participating artists include painters Kwon Hak-jun, Park Bong-gi, Saya, Wi Se-bok, Yoon Hoo-myeong, Lee In, Cho Young-jae, sculpto
By Reporter Lee jon young Jung Gang, Chief of Consular Affairs and Safety, visited Tokyo, Japan, and held the 23rd Korea-Japan Consular Chiefs Meeting with Toshihide Ando, Director-General of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on July 19. During the meeting, they extensively exchanged views on cooperation in various consular areas between the two countries, including △support for immigration, entry, and stay △protection of their respective nationals within each other's country. Director Jung requested Japan's cooperation to improve the convenience of stay for our nationals. At the same
By Reporter | Lee jon young Ambassador Song In-chang, the Sherpa for the G20, participated in the '3rd G20 Sherpa Meeting' held from July 13 to 16 in Hampi, India. At this meeting, representatives from G20 member countries and nine invited guest countries as well as major international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) attended, and substantive work on the drafting of the official G20 declaration to be announced at the G20 Summit in September began in earnest. The nine invited guest countries for 20
By Reporter Lee jon young The exhibition, displaying the unique style of artist Shin Sung-hee (1948-2009) known as "Nouage," is currently being held as the grand opening exhibition at The Gallery. Visitors can view representative works from different periods, ranging from Shin Sung-hee's early canvas works to his Nouage series, "Peinture Spatiale" series, and "Conclusion of Continuity" series, comprehensively exploring the artist's entire career. Shin Sung-hee's artwork, which embodied the essence of painting while presenting a distinct sculptural world, received greater recognition internatio
By Reporter Lee jon young I would like to express my gratitude to President Zelensky for the invitation and special consideration during these challenging times. First and foremost, I extend deep condolences to the innocent Ukrainian citizens who lost their lives due to Russia's illegal aggression and to the young Ukrainians and their families who sacrificed their lives to defend freedom. As the President of the Republic of Korea, I feel a great sense of responsibility as I visit Ukraine for the first time, especially during this critical period. During this visit, along with the South Korean
By Reporter Lee jon young The Korean and Mongolian National Tax Agency Chiefs held their 12th meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on July 18. During the meeting, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed to enhance tax cooperation between the two countries. According to the terms of the MOU, the Mongolian National Tax Agency will organize annual tax conferences exclusively for more than 450 Korean companies operating in Mongolia. These conferences aim to provide tax-related information, address any tax-related issues, and actively support Korean businesses from a tax perspective. Additionall
By Reporter Lee jon young Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed various mutual interests, including South Korea-China relations, the Korean Peninsula issue and regional and international situations during the approximately 45-minute meeting Both sides reaffirmed the consensus reached during the South Korea-China summit in November last year at the G20, aiming to continue developing their bilateral relations. They emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy and mature relationship based on mutual respect, mutual benefit, and common interests and
By Reporter Lee jon young It has been officially announced that Canada has designated a national 'Taekwondo Day.' This distinguishes it significantly from the occasional declarations of 'Taekwondo Day' for appreciation and recognition in some other countries, like the United States. According to the Kukkiwon, led by President Lee Dong-seop, the Canadian government has decided to celebrate 'Taekwondo Day' on September 4. This date marks the day when Taekwondo was officially adopted as an Olympic sport during the 103rd International Olympic Committee General Assembly held in Paris in 1994. The o