By UN Journal Kayla Lee The 28th World Peace Art Exhibition Awards Ceremony was held at the Korea Gallery in Insa-dong, Seoul on August 6, 2025. About 620 artists from 21 countries participated in the event, submitting approximately 1,200 works. About 800 of these works were exhibited. The ceremony concluded successfully with approximately 200 distinguished guests in attendance. Attendees at the ceremony included Nurgali Arystanov, Ambassador of the Embassy of Kazakhstan, Fazliddin Arziev, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of Uzbekistan, Consul Eugene Redko of the Embassy of Belarus, and Rita
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed to the UN Journal for publication by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul, South Korea. –Ed. The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will take part in the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) on August 5, which will be held in the Avaza tourist zone in Turkmenistan. The III Conference is organized by the UN Secretariat in cooperation with the Government of Turkmenistan. The upcoming forum is expected to be attended by heads of state and government, over 100 high-level delegations, includi
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo UN Secretary-General António Guterres on July 28 warned that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “at a breaking point” and headed toward a one-State reality marked by perpetual occupation and inequality, unless the international community takes urgent, irreversible steps to implement the two-State solution, the UN News reported. Addressing the high-level conference on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-State solution, Mr. Guterres delivered a stark message about the urgency of action and the cost of delay. “For decad
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun, currently visiting the United States, met with Hudson Institute President John Walters and other leaders on July 31, 2025. They outlined the new Korean administration's foreign policy and exchanged opinions on ways to develop the ROK-US alliance. Minister Cho explained that the new administration seeks to build a globally responsible powerhouse that can effectively address changing global order under a pragmatic approach. He added that in doing so, the government plans to continue strengthening the ROK-US alliance and ROK-US-Japan c
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of Morocco in Seoul hosted a reception to celebrate the 26th anniversary of the accession of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI to the Throne, commemorated as the National Day of the Kingdom of Morocco, at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel in Seoul, on July 30, 2025. Moroccans celebrate the Throne Day on July 30 - an opportunity to proudly honor the proactive, insightful, and forward-looking Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who has transformed the Kingdom into an emerging, modern, and prosperous nation. Throne Day marks a powerful moment of unity for
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of Peru in Seoul held a reception to mark the 204th Anniversary of the Independence of Peru at Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul on July 28, 2025. Delivering a speech at the reception, Peruvian Ambassador to Korea Paul Fernando Duclos Farodi said, “In 2024, during the APEC Leaders' Summit held in Lima, Peru had the honor of transferring to Korea the chairmanship of this key platform for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. “One of the most emblematic achievements of APEC Peru was the restoration of consensus among its 21 member economies, leading to
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun held his first telephone conversation with Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwaya Takeshi on Thursday, July 24, from 14:10 to 14:30, during which the two sides exchanged views on Korea-Japan relations and regional affairs. The call also served as a courtesy exchange marking Minister Cho’s inauguration. Minister Cho noted that Korea-Japan and Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation, along with the Korea-U.S. alliance, form the core pillars of the Korean government’s pragmatic diplomacy, and that the two countries would work together to buil
UNJournal Jon Lee | Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Kim Seong-joong met with Ambassador Aida Ismailova of the Kyrgyz Republic to Korea and her entourage at the provincial office on July 22 to discuss international cooperation measures in the field of the disabled. This meeting was arranged to conduct preliminary exchanges and improve the effectiveness of the project ahead of the ‘2025 Local Government Public Cooperation Project Integrated Competition’ fully supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The province plans to apply for this competition with the ‘Project to Str
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young Every day, we pass through a landscape of fierce words and division. Politics puts more weight on blame than responsibility, and those who are called leaders only talk about ‘strategies’ to defeat their opponents rather than the people. In the midst of this, I say, “This is a time when prayer is needed.” However, true prayer is not a monologue to heaven, but a heart attitude for our neighbors, and it should be the starting point of practice to reflect on my thoughts and actions for someone other than myself. Prayer is ‘courage’ for the weak. Even at this moment, som
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “Iran’s capacity for food exports—particularly high-quality seafood such as shrimp and fish from the southern regions—represents a promising new frontier for expanding trade and export cooperation with South Korea,” said Ambassador of Iran to South Korea on July 18. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal held at the Embassy of DRC in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Amb. Saeed Koozechi said, “With targeted expertise and joint investments, these sectors in Iran are well positioned for further growth and development.” Noting that the volume of bilateral trade between Ko
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The UN’s flagship platform on artificial intelligence opened in Geneva on July 8, launching four days of high-level dialogue, cutting-edge demonstrations and urgent calls for inclusive AI governance, the UN News reported. According to the UN News, the event came as autonomous and generative systems evolve faster than regulatory frameworks can keep pace. The AI for Good Global Summit 2025 brings together governments, tech leaders, academics, civil society and young people to explore how artificial intelligence can be directed toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
UNJournal Jon Lee | A new direction for South Korea's cultural policy has been set. Rep. Kim Kyo-heung, a three-term senior politician from the Democratic Party (Incheon Seo-gu Gap), was elected as the chair of the 22nd National Assembly's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee at the National Assembly plenary session on June 27. Kim's election as chair is seen as more than just a personnel change, but as the establishment of new leadership for South Korea's cultural, tourism, and sports policies. Kim, who served as chairman of the Incheon University Student Council, led the May 3 Democratic U
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Director-General for Consular Affairs and Safety Yoon Chu Sok held the 7th ROK-Thailand Consular Consultation in Bangkok with H.E. Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 9, 2025. The two sides engaged in wide-ranging discussions on bilateral consular issues, including ▴enhancing the convenience of entry, exit, and stay for Korean nationals in Thailand, and ▴protecting Korean nationals residing in Thailand. Director-General Yoon emphasized that the bilateral relationship between the two
UNJournal Jon Lee | The Preparatory Office for APEC 2025 held the First Advance Visit for 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting for delegates from 20 APEC member economies from July 9 to July 10, 2025. The First Advance Visit was chaired by Senior Managing Director Kim Ji-Joon and attended by over 120 participants, including delegations from APEC member economies and officials from relevant authorities. Korea will host the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju in the second half of 2025, marking 20 years since its last hosting of the event in Busan in 2005. On the first day, the Prepar
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Korea need to speed up cooperation in the sector of critical minerals, in addition to the diplomatic and political field,” said Ambassador of the DRC to Korea Atoki Ileka on July 9. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal held at the Embassy of DRC in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Ambassador Atoki Ileka said, “South Korea emphasized expanding trade and investment in Africa, particularly focusing on critical minerals at the recent Korea-Africa Summit in June 2024. To that effect, a Korea-Africa Critical