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 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 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
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
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, has died on April 21 at the age of 88, the AP reported. The pope, who had recently been hospitalized and recovered due to severe pneumonia, was resuming his activities after returning to the Vatican. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,″ Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said in an announcement. Francis, who suffered
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea hosted the opening ceremony for the 5th KOREAZ Supporters Program on April 18, 2025. During the event, 32 participants (16 Korean and 16 international students) were officially appointed as the newest cohort of KOREAZ Supporters. KOREAZ is the name of the Foreign Ministry's digital public diplomacy channel on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. In her welcoming remarks, Ms. Seo Bihn, Director-General of the Public Diplomacy and Cultural Affairs Bureau, highlighted the growing importance of digital public diplomacy
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Young people from across the globe are meeting at UN Headquarters on April 15 to share their recommendations to transform the world into a fairer, greener and more sustainable place, the UN News reported. Putting sustainable change and social inclusion at the forefront of its effort, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum is the UN’s yearly largest gathering of young people. “The urgency of shaping a more sustainable, inclusive and just future for all has never been clearer,” said the President of ECOSOC, Bob Rae, during the opening plenary session. Conven
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Samsung Electronics announced on April 14 the addition of five new Young Leaders to Generation17, an initiative in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that supports young changemakers driving progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the ‘Global Goals.’ Generation17 is an initiative from Samsung and UNDP that elevates the voices of Young Leaders who are changing the world and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or ‘Global Goals.’ They are Brigitta Gunawan of Indonesia,
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The government of the Republic of Korea welcomed the adoption by consensus at the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) on April 3 (Geneva time) of a resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which was co-sponsored by 54 countries including the Republic of Korea. The adoption of the resolution by consensus for ten consecutive years testifies to the international community’s concern over the dire human rights situation in the DPRK and sends a united message from the international community cal
By UN Journal Kayla Lee United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met on April 3 in Brussels to strengthen trilateral cooperation in advancing the safety, security, and prosperity of our three countries and the broader Indo-Pacific region, while upholding shared principles including the rule of law. The Secretary and Foreign Ministers emphasized the importance of NATO’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific Partners to ensure the ability to swiftly respond to security developments and challenges in the Euro
By UN Journal Kayla Lee UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern on April 2 over the human toll resulting from the intensified hostilities in Gaza, the UN news reported. He condemned the reported killing of more than a thousand people, including women and children, since the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 18 March. In his daily press briefing, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that large-scale Israeli shelling and ground operations have resulted in widespread destruction and the displacement of more than 100,000 Palestinians from Rafah in the pa