By UN Journal Lee Jon-young National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik met with Ambassador Peter van der Vliet of the Netherlands at the Woo’s office on Aug. 1. The two countries have been strategic partners since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1961, developing bilateral ties based on common values such as freedom, democracy, and human rights. "I congratulate the new government of the Netherlands on its recent inauguration and look forward to continuing our strategic partnership with the new government," Woo said, welcoming Ambassador van der Vliet. "The Netherlands ranked as the top
UNJournal Jon Lee | 영문 외교저널 7월호 발간 책자 JPG로 전체보기
UNJournal Jon Lee | The South Korean National Assembly is a mess. With political conflicts and confrontations reaching a fever pitch, the National Assembly is more focused on political strife than on policies for the people. In this situation, people's expectations of the National Assembly are getting lower and lower, which is causing serious problems across the country. It is not just politicians who are responsible for the current state of the National Assembly. The people are also at fault. They often make poor judgments in elections and are swayed by inflammatory media and fake news to cas
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young The Buddhist University, affiliated with the Korean Buddhist Council (the “Buddhist Council”), held its first Buddhist sermon contest at the Supreme Hall of Bomyeong-sa Temple in Incheon, Korea on June 13, where four students from the School of Buddhist Priest Law were selected and participated in the first preaching contest with the participation of the chairman, president, dean, professors, certified teachers, and members of the congregation. “The Buddhist University of the Buddhist Council is an academy education for the training of social leaders,” said Dr. Lee
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young The special envoy delegation of President Yoon Suk-yeol, comprised of Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy Sung Tae-yoon and Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Deok-geun, met with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on July 24 and delivered a letter of thanks from President Yoon for the selection of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) as the preferred bidder for the new nuclear power plant, and discussed follow-up measures. On behalf of the Korean government and Team Korea, Sung Tae-yoon, head of the envoy delegation, expressed his gratitude for the opportu
UNJournal Jon Lee | Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae and Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam of the Republic of Singapore signed the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Singapore on July 24, 2024, in Singapore. The Treaty establishes an institutional foundation for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between the two countries that celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year, by laying out the specific scope and procedures for the legal assistance. The Tre
UNJournal Jon Lee | In 2024, the bond between Korea and Africa was strengthened through a series of significant events. The Korea-Africa Summit featured the <Harmony in Symbols> exhibition, which was sponsored by the Ghanaian Embassy and showcased the works of ten notable Korean artists. These artists used traditional Ghanaian Adinkra symbols in their unique works. The exhibition was a highlight of cultural and artistic events during the summit. One of the notable artists we met was Yi Seo-hoo, whose use of the Abode Santann symbol, symbolizing cosmic power and omnipresence, has gained r
UNJournal Jon Lee | The 27th World Peace Art Exhibition 2024 has completed the first and second rounds of judging. The overall grand prize (Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award) went to Kang Moa (Folk Painting), and the category grand prizes (Seoul Mayor's Award and Chairman's Award) went to Cho Kyung-sun (Folk Painting), Kim Young-ok (Western Painting), Joo Eun-young (Western Painting), and Oh Yoon-hee (Korean Painting) and Cho Jin-won (Calligraphy). They will receive a certificate and a purchase cash prize. The 550 selected works out of 1,250 entries will be exhibited from August 21
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in Washington, D.C., to attend the NATO Summit, held a bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on July 10 (local time). The two leaders welcomed the opportunity to meet again in about a month and a half since they held a bilateral summit on the sidelines of the South Korea-Japan-China Summit in May, and appreciated the continuation of their meetings on the sidelines of the NATO Summit for the third consecutive year as part of the IP4. The two leaders noted that cooperation in various areas, including the economy, e
UNJournal Kayla Lee | A solo exhibition by artist Jeon Byung-hee will be held on the 5th floor of Insa Art Plaza (Lefranc) in Insadong, Seoul from July 10 to 23. In this exhibition, Jeon has developed a technique called "petal touch three-dimensional oil painting technique," in which the artist sculpts petals with paint as if embroidering the emotions felt in her heart, and expresses her wishes for happiness as petals on the tip of her brush. I work in a way that feels a little unfinished because I want the viewers to fill in the gaps in their minds. It is a work that is completed by the artis
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young "Mercy in the heart, peace in the world!" This is the theme of the 2019 Buddha’s birthday celebration in the year of the Buddha, 2563! However, in recent years, we have witnessed many conflicts and instability around the world. Conflicts between nations, racial tensions, mistrust in politics, economic inequality, and many other issues have disrupted our daily lives. In the midst of this turmoil, the values of peace and mercy are more important than ever. The need for peace Conflict around the world is not just a localized problem. The modern world is globalized, and
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee held a dinner meeting with about 120 local compatriots in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 8. (local time) When the President and Mrs. Yoon arrived at the entrance of the venue, they were greeted with a banner that read "Welcome to Hawaii by the President and Mrs. Yoon," along with many compatriots and Americans in military uniforms who came out to support President Yoon, who has firmly restored the U.S.-South Korea alliance, and some Americans who came out to support President Yoon, who sang "American Pie" last year, wav
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young Director Han Myung-ku questions the movie industry and society with his unique perspective on social issues. His next movie, 'Geojedo POW Camp,' is in full production as the set site has been finalized. Han, who won the Best Director award at the Indian International Film Festival for his film "The Silence of One’s Lover," will direct "Geojedo POW Camp," a dramatic film with a total budget of 75 billion won, which is scheduled for release in 2025. The executive producer will be Kim In-sik, chairman of the steering committee of the Korea Association of Film Producers
UNJournal Jon Lee | 영문 외교저널 6월호 발간 책자 JPG로 전체보기
UNJournal Jon Lee | The Embassy of Nepal in Korea hosted the Nepal’s Tourism Promotion Event and B2B Meeting at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on June 27, 2024. Delivering welcoming and opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Jyoti Pyakural, Ambassador of Nepal to the Republic of Korea, said, “Nepal and Korea need to expand bilateral cooperation, especially in the tourism sector, this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of Nepal-Korea diplomatic relations. Accordingly, I hope that more Korean tourists will visit the beautiful country Nepal.” In the Nepal destination presentation, Hikmat Singh Ayer, s