By UN Journal Kayla Lee As part of the celebration of the Central Asia–Korea Friendship Day, a traditional fashion show highlighted the cultural diversity and rich creative traditions of the countries of the region and Korea on Sept. 30, 2025. The event was organized by the Central Asia–Korea Friendship Association. The ceremony was attended by President of the Association Lee Ok Ryun, President of the Asian Cultural Center Kim Sangug, diplomats of Central Asian countries, representatives of the business community, and creative groups. In his welcoming remarks, Ambassador Nurgali Arystanov und
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of the Dominican Republic in the Republic of Korea, together with ProDominicana, successfully hosted the “Dominican Republic–Korea Business Forum: Strategic Horizons – Exploring a Land of Opportunities for Korean Companies in the Dominican Republic.” The event brought together over 50 representatives of leading Korean companies, senior government officials, ambassadors and members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Seoul, media outlets, and distinguished figures from civil society. Among the distinguished participants were Mr. Lee Jooil, Director-Genera
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held a South Korea-Japan summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Busan on September 30. The two leaders exchanged broad and in-depth views on ways to strengthen practical cooperation between South Korea and Japan and the necessity of cooperation at the regional and global levels. The two leaders welcomed the completion of shuttle diplomacy between the two countries, marked by Prime Minister Ishiba's visit to Busan just one month after President Lee's visit to Japan last month. They also expressed full agreement on the im
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held a meeting with Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand at the United Nations Headquarters on September 25. The two sides exchanged views on overall bilateral relations, including high-level exchanges, future substantive cooperation plans, and regional and international situations. Minister Cho expressed his delight at the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two countries following the inauguration of the new governments of Korea and Canada this year, following the bilateral summit held on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Jun
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in New York on September 24 (local time), who was attending the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly. Prime Minister Meloni stated that the two countries have been developing balanced cooperative relations across various fields, including trade and investment. She assessed that the potential for expanding economic cooperation between the two nations is very high, as demonstrated by events such as the successful Korea-Italy Business Forum held in Seoul in earl
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung held his first bilateral meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was attending the 80th UN General Assembly High-Level Session in New York on September 24 (local time). The two leaders commended the steady development of bilateral relations in various areas, including political affairs, economics, and people-to-people exchanges, since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1989. In particular, they shared the view that bilateral trade has recently grown steadily, and that substantive cooperation is expanding, with Korean companies
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sept. 23 and asked for the U.N.'s support for South Korea's initiative to achieve North Korea's denuclearization through dialogue, the Presidential office said. Their meeting took place after President Lee declared at the UN that "South Korea will fulfill its responsibility and role to end the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula and contribute to global peace and prosperity through the 'E (Exchange), N (Normalization), and D (Denuclearization) Initiative." President Lee stated, “Peace and secur
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung declared in his keynote address at the UN that "South Korea will fulfill its responsibility and role to end the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula and contribute to global peace and prosperity through the 'E (Exchange), N (Normalization), and D (Denuclearization) Initiative." President Lee made these remarks in his keynote address at UN Headquarters in New York on September 23 (local time), stating, "We must end the era of hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula through comprehensive dialogue centered on the 'END' initiative and ush
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who is in New York to attend the 80th UN General Assembly High-Level Session, held a South Korea, the US, and Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting on September 22 with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. They discussed pending issues on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, as well as ways to enhance trilateral economic and security cooperation, and adopted a joint statement. Minister Cho expressed his gratitude for attending the meeting for the first time since taking office, at a time when the commitm
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo Celebrating the 34th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence and the 33rd anniversary of diplomatic relations with Korea, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul held a reception in the Crystal Ballroom of Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Sept. 19, 2025. Delivering welcome address, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Korea Alisher Abdusalomov, said, “The Uzbek government is boldly investing in education, healthcare, and infrastructure, empowering youth, women, and entrepreneurs to lead the future of our nation. Uzbekistan is also deepening its engagement with the world. We are building br
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung will visit New York, USA, from Sept. 22 to 26 to attend the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. On his first day of arrival, President Lee is scheduled to meet with Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm. During this meeting, they will discuss cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) and energy transition. Subsequently, the President will meet with a delegation of U.S. House and Senate members and hold a meeting with Korean nationals. On the following day, the 23rd, President Lee will deliver a keynote
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung met with Professor Michael Sandel of Harvard University, author of “"Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?" in his office on September 18. President Lee, who had previously engaged in a video discussion with Professor Sandel on ‘Justice and Fairness’ during his 2021 presidential campaign, met with him again after about four years to exchange views on ‘Democracy and Peaceful Coexistence’. President Lee emphasized that Professor Sandel's concepts of a just society and peace dividends hold particular significance for the Korean people, noting t
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held talks and a dinner with Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, in Beijing, China, on September 17. They exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, including South Korea-China relations and issues on the Korean Peninsula. Minister Cho emphasized, “Today's meeting, as the first South Korea-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting since the inauguration of our new government, holds significance for the development of bilateral relations.” He expressed hope that, taking the Gy
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The Seoul Olympic Memorial Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO), led by Chairman Ha Hyung-joo, held a reoperation ceremony on September 16, 2025 for the fountain donated by Korea’s brother nation, Turkiye, during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Held near the Turkiye Fountain in Olympic Park, the event was attended by Chairman Ha Hyung-joo; Ambassador Salih Murat Tamer of the Republic of Turkiye to the Republic of Korea; Songpa-gu Mayor Seo Kang-seok; Songpa Forum Chairman Hong Jae-sung; Kim Yong-jong, Superintendent General of the Songpa Police Station; Kim Na-mi, Secret
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (DPO) at the United Nations, who is visiting South Korea, on September 15. They exchanged views on ways to strengthen South Korea-UN cooperation and the future development direction of UN Peacekeeping Operations (PKO). Minister Cho emphasized Korea's commitment to continue contributing to enhancing the adaptability and effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations as a major troop- and finance-contributing nation. He also called for further strengthening cooperation betwee