By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol received British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, who is in Korea for the 3rd Democracy Summit on March 20. The President welcomed the UK's active participation in the Democracy Summit as the originator of parliamentary democracy and looked forward to lively discussions on the theme of the Summit, 'Promoting Democracy for Future Generations'. The President also noted that the Downing Street Agreement, which he signed with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his state visit to the UK last November, marked a new milestone in the development o
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Kazakhstan to Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, delivered an address at the National Kurultai (National Congress) on March 15. He primally focused on Kazakhstan’s development, outlining key tasks and priorities for the country. The President stated that addressing economic issues alone does not suffice for becoming a genuinely developed nation, adding that Kazakhstan must take a comprehensive approach, outlining guidelines not only in the socio-economic re
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol received a group of ministers and vice ministers from five African countries who are visiting Korea to attend the Ministerial Meeting on the first day of the 3rd Democracy Summit at the Presidential Office on March 19. The five African countries are Gambia, Mozambique, Kenya, Mauritius and Botswana. The President assessed that the five countries share the universal value of democracy with Korea and have formed close and friendly relations, and expressed his hope that they will strengthen cooperation in various fields to develop democracy for
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with Dr. Thomas Bagger, State Secretary of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, on March 11. They exchanged views on matters of mutual interests, such as bilateral relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Foreign Minister Cho and State Secretary Bagger agreed to work towards rearranging President Yoon Suk-yeol's state visit to Germany, which was inevitably postponed last month due to various domestic affairs, at an appropriate time. They also agreed to further bolster the ties between the two countries through conti
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young | President Yoon Suk-yeol received U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who is visiting South Korea for the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Democracy Summit, on March 18. The President welcomed Secretary Blinken, who is returning to South Korea after a four-month absence following his visit in November last year, and said that the recent high-level exchanges, including reciprocal visits between the foreign ministers of the two countries, demonstrate the strength of the U.S.-ROK alliance, which has evolved into a "globally comprehensive strategic alliance.” No
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo Ambassador of Kazakhstan Nurgali Arystanov met with Daejeon City Mayor Lee Jang-woo in Daejeon City on March 12 to explore ways to expand bilateral cooperation. The Ambassador highlighted the importance of collaboration in science and education. He talked about President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's vision for a prosperous Kazakhstan, in which priority is also attached to increasing scientific and technical potential. This, as noted by the Kazakh Envoy, opens new opportunities for closer ties with Korea, especially in areas like digital transformation and training skilled
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young The Freedom Shield (FS) 2024 joint exercise concluded on March 14. The 11-day exercise, which began on March 4 and concluded on March 14, was based on exercise scenarios reflecting the changing threats and security situation, including lessons from recent wars, and assumed various situations, including a transition of war and all-out war, according to the United Nations Command (UNC). In particular, this year's exercise focused on multi-domain operations utilizing land, sea, air, cyber and space assets and neutralizing the North Korean nuclear threat. The ROK and th
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young Turkish Airlines, which operates a fleet of more than 450 aircraft, launched its inaugural flight to Melbourne, Australia, on March 2. Turkish Airlines will fly to Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, three times a week with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (winter) and A350-900 aircraft (summer). The Istanbul-Melbourne route will carry thousands of customers and contribute to the expansion of tourism and trade between the two countries. Turkish Airlines is the only European airline to fly to Melbourne Airport, with plans to serve Sydney by the end of
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo President Yoon Suk-yeol received John Podesta, Senior Advisor for International Climate Policy to the President of the United States, at the presidential office on March 12, and exchanged views on bilateral climate cooperation, global climate crisis response, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The President welcomed Mr. Podesta to Korea on his first overseas trip since being appointed to his current position. Recalling that he and President Biden agreed to expand cooperation on green technologies, including carbon reduction, during his state visit to the United St
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Yoon Suk-yeol received Sarah Sanders, the governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas, in the Presidential Office, on March 11 and exchanged views on strengthening the U.S.-ROK alliance, promoting cooperation between the two countries, and supporting the Korean community. The President said that Arkansas, known as the hometown of General MacArthur, who led the miraculous 'Incheon Landing' in the Korean War, has a special connection to Korea, and hoped that just as the U.S.-ROK alliance, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, is evolving into a 'global
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo Almaty, Kazakhstan welcomed the inauguration of its first CU store, a collaboration between Shin-Line Group and South Korea's BGF Retail on March 6, 2024. This historic occasion heralds the entry of South Korea's retailer into the Kazakhs market, promising to the Almaty’s retail landscape. The CU store chain is poised to enhance the shopping experience for Almaty's populace. These stores boast appealing exteriors, unique interiors, swift service, and competitive pricing. Andrey Shin, President of the Shin-Line Group, highlighted the transformative impact of the CU net
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “Today, Korea is 6th largest investor and 4th largest trade partner for Kazakhstan. In 2023, the number of Korean tourists traveling to Kazakhstan more than doubled,” said Nurgali A. Arystanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Korea. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal, Amb. Arystanov said, “We are now working on creating more conducive conditions for people-to-people ties between Kazakhstan and Korea. We discussed the ways to increase the frequency of flights between Kazakhstan and Korea, and adding new destinations to the
By UN Journal Kim Ji-eun Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Natalia Kanem on March 6 during the latter’s visit to Korea, where they discussed Korea-UNFPA cooperation. Foreign Minister Cho appreciated the enhanced partnership between Korea and the UNFPA, including through the first Korea-UNFPA Policy Consultation held last month. He went on to express his expectation that Korea, as a member of the UN Security Council for the 2024-2025 term, will strengthen cooperation with the UNFPA in areas such as the Humanitarian-Develop
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The Women In koRea (WIR: ‘We’ in German) leadership group of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a successful kick-off event on March 8, marking its sixth edition of annual mentoring program. Hosted jointly by the Embassy of Germany in Seoul at the residence of German Ambassador Georg Schmidt, the event drew over 100 participants, especially female executive mentors and mentees from diverse sectors and organizations. Among the attendees were representatives from Bayer Korea, BNP Paribas Seoul Branch, Deutsche Bank Seoul Branch, Henkel Korea, KGCCI,
By UN Journal Kim Ji-eun Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held a telephone conversation with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique A. Manalo to exchange views on key bilateral issues on March 8. Minister Cho expressed his deepest sympathy for the deaths of two Filipino sailors in a missile attack by Houthi rebels on March 6, and expressed his appreciation for the exchange of letters of congratulations between the two leaders and ministers on March 3, the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. In response, Minister Manalo expressed his warmest sympathies to Minister Cho, and