By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “Belarus is a country with an ancient history and rich traditions, beautiful nature and stunning architecture, industrial giants and well-developed agriculture, unique cuisine and hospitable people,” said H.E. Andrew Chernetsky, Belarus Ambassador to the Republic of Korea on May 20, 2025. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal, Amb. Chernetsky said, “The modern cultural life of Belarus is dynamic and diverse. The country hosts numerous art, music, theater exhibitions and film festivals. Belarus entertains its guests with a variety of events.” Noting that
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Republic of Korea, together with representatives of the Belarusian diaspora, took part in the 17th Seongbuk Global Food Festival – Nurimasil on May 18,2025, organized by the administration of the Seongbuk district of Seoul. Belarusian diplomatic mission delighted the guests of the festival with traditional potato pancakes, crepes and other dishes of national cuisine, while both adults and children appreciated the Belarusian culinary delights. As part of the event, Ambassador of Belarus Andrew Chernetsky and his Spouse Marina
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young The word ‘hero’ is often misunderstood. It's easy to think of them as someone who wields spectacular force or is cheered by the masses, but in reality, the word comes from the ancient Greek myth of the “half-god, half-man” and refers to people of exceptional courage and determination who acted for the good of humanity. In this regard, we should be able to clearly distinguish between a true hero and an arrogant person in power. True heroes often have the following “prayer of equanimity” as their life motto: "O God, I pray to you. “Oh, God, give me the equanimity to a
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) is holding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting from May 15–16 at the International Convention Center Jeju (ICC Jeju). As Korea is resuming APEC chairmanship in 20 years since 2005, Minister for Trade Cheong In-kyo is chairing the MRT meeting with the participation of trade ministers from 21 major economies in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Japan, and the U.S., as well as the WTO Director-General and the OECD Deputy Secretar
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young St. Lazarus Village will hold its 38th Charity Concert, “In Your Presence,” on June 11 at the Seongnam Arts Center Opera House. This will be the first time in six years that the charity concert has been held since the 37th charity concert in 2019, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 'In Your Presence' began in 1975 with the voluntary participation of celebrities to help people with Hansen's disease in Korea and abroad. The subtitle of the charity concert, which commemorates the Universal Church's regular jubilee and the 75th anniversary of the founding
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), and the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) announced that the five-day Korea Week (May 13–17) took off on May 13 at 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo, starting with Korea Day. Approximately 350 visitors attended the Korea Day event launched on May 13, including a total of 30 government officials and business leaders of both countries. The Korea Day event consisted of a series of progra
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The UN World Food Program (WFP) has warned that millions of people in West and Central Africa are facing record hunger as conflict, displacement, economic hardship and repeated extreme weather push the region towards a major crisis, the UN News reported. More than 36 million are struggling to meet their basic food needs, which is projected to rise to over 52 million during the lean season from June to August, latest analysis reveals. This includes almost three million people facing emergency conditions, and 2,600 people in Mali who are at risk of catastrophic hunger,
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The 41st APEC Automotive Dialogue (AD) opened on May 9–10 at the International Convention Center Jeju (ICC Jeju) on the sidelines of the APEC Second Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM2), the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced. The APEC AD is a public-private forum for the sharing of major policy issues and industrial trends among APEC members’ governments and auto industries to seek measures for cooperation. Launched in 1999, it serves as APEC’s major communication channel on diverse automotive areas spanning electric mobility, aut
UNJournal Jon Lee | Thai Ambassador to Korea Tanee Sangrat has joined a 1 million-signature relay campaign calling for the construction of a private runway at Cheongju International Airport. Chungcheongbuk-do province announced on May 7 that Thai Ambassador Tanee Sangrat has become the first foreign ambassador to sign a petition calling for the construction of a dedicated runway for civilian aircraft at Cheongju International Airport. “The lack of flights is the biggest obstacle to expanding people-to-people exchanges between the two countries,” said Thai Ambassador Tanee Sangrat, adding, ”I s
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo May 2 marks World Press Freedom Day and UN Secretary-General António Guterres is highlighting an uptick in violence faced by journalists covering environmental issues, which has made the profession increasingly dangerous, the UN News reported. The UN chief said journalists and media professionals “have a key role in informing and educating” the public about the world’s current environmental and climate emergency which stands as a threat to future generations. It is through this work that people can have a greater understanding of environmental factors affecting the wo
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The Korean government awarded former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Philip Goldberg the Gwanghwa Order, the highest diplomatic honor, on May 6. (local time) Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong handed over the crown to Goldberg at the U.S. Embassy in Washington, D.C. The Order of Diplomatic Friendship is the highest award given to those who have contributed to diplomatic relations. Goldberg arrived in South Korea in July 2022, during the administration of former President Joe Biden, and served until January of this year, just before the U.S. re
By UN Journal Kayla Lee In June this year, the U.S.-Korea Cultural Exchange Exhibition will be held at the Helen Keller Park Gallery in Los Angeles to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance. The exhibition will bring together artists from Korea and the U.S. to paint peace with brushes and colors in a cultural diplomacy. The event is co-organized by the World Peace Art Exhibition Organizing Committee (Damwha Chairman Lee Jon-young) and the Federation of Arts and Cultural Organizations of the Americas (Chairman Kim Jun-bae), and hosted by the Damwha Cultural Foundation and the
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul exchanged congratulatory letters with Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda on April 25 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Korea and Bolivia forged diplomatic relations on April 25, 1965. In his letter, Minister Cho highlighted that the two countries have steadily enhanced bilateral cooperation across various fields since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1965. He also recalled the recent visit of his Special Envoy to B
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Too many indigenous peoples are still being excluded from decisions that directly affect their lands, territories, cultures, and the future of their communities, a top UN forum heard on April 21, the UN News reported. Indigenous Peoples are still excluded from decisions regarding “the very foundation of our identity, survival, and self-determination,” said Aluki Kotierk, Chair of the 24th United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). According to the UN News, this year’s theme is focused on implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peop
By UN Journal Kayla Lee “Mother Earth is running a fever. Last year was the hottest ever recorded: The final blow in a decade of record heat,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a message for International Mother Earth Day on April 22, 2025. According to the UN News, he said in the message, “We know what’s causing this sickness: the greenhouse gas emissions humanity is pumping into the atmosphere – overwhelmingly from burning fossil fuels.” We know the symptoms: devastating wildfires, floods and heat. Lives lost and livelihoods shattered. And we know the cure: rapidly reducing green