By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang City, Gyeongbuk Province, met with former Israeli Ambassador to Korea Chaim Choshen, who visited Pohang on March 18, and asked him to help build bridges between Pohang and Israel. Former Ambassador Chaim Choshen, who received an honorary doctorate from Handong University, is one of Israel's leading experts on East Asia and served as the country's ambassador to South Korea from 2016 to 2020. He has been involved with Pohang since the 2017 earthquake, when the Israeli Embassy donated $10,000 worth of supplies to local victims. Recently, he
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo High-Level International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation will be held from 29 to 31 May 2025 in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan, to highlight the vital role of glaciers in maintaining global ecological balance and addressing water-related challenges, the Embassy of Tajikistan in Seoul said on March 18. This Conference will emphasize the crucial connection between glaciers and sustainable socio-economic development, focusing on how glacier preservation is essential to safeguarding livelihoods, ensuring water availability, minimizing related hazards, recognizing t
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “Tajikistan stands ready for strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with the Republic of Korea in such areas as hydropower, textile, light, chemical and food industries, mining and processing of mineral ore and rare metals, mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, transport and tourism,” said Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Republic of Korea Salohiddin Kirom on March 14. In an exclusive interview with Diplomacy Journal held at the Embassy of Tajikistan in Hannan-dong, Seoul, Amb. Salohiddin Kirom said, “Tajikistan is open to conside
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Director-General for International Security Youn Jong-kwon held a meeting with Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, Managing Director for Peace, Security and Defense of the European External Action Service (EEAS), to exchange views on ways to expand ROK-EU security cooperation on March 11. Building upon the agreement to strengthen security partnership reached at the 2023 summit and in line with the ROK-EU Security and Defense Partnership document adopted in November 2024, the two sides agreed on seeking to hold an ROK-EU Security and Defense Dialogue in Seoul in the first half o
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a state visit to France at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron on March 11-13, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul said. France, a highly developed industrial and agricultural nation, holds a leading global position in industrial output. Its economic prowess places it among the world’s top seven economies. A nuclear power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, France also plays a pivotal role within the European Union and on the broader international stage. France recognized Uzbekistan’s independen
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “Lithuania is a global leader in laser technology, with its companies supplying precision laser systems used in medicine, industry, and scientific research worldwide,” said Amb. H.E. Ricardas Slepavicius of the Republic of Lithuania on March 6. In an exclusive interview with Diplomacy Journal held at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Amb. Slepavicius said, “Among the three Baltic countries, Lithuania stands as South Korea's largest trading partner. Korean investors are particularly drawn to Lithuania’s rapidly growing biopharmaceutical indu
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany successfully launched the first-ever Korea-Germany Indo-Pacific Dialogue on March 10, 2025. Eui-hae Cecilia Chung, Special Representative for the Indo-Pacific Region, and Frank Hartmann, Director General for Asia and the Pacific at the German Federal Foreign Office, convened the dialogue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul. Both sides shared the recognition that the stability of the Indo-Pacific region is critical not only for regional peace and prosperity but also
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young The following article was contributed by Choi Keong-ju, a professor of Keimyung University (Ph.D) and advisor of Korea-Saudi Friendship Society, to Diplomacy Journal for publication.—Ed. Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 is a comprehensive strategy for the kingdom to diversify its economy and achieve social reforms as it moves away from its oil-dependent economy. The plan was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in April 2016 and provides a blueprint for the Kingdom's long-term economic and social development. Its main objectives are as follows. Firstly, it aims t
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, who is on an official visit to Poland, held a bilateral meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Warsaw, Poland, on March 5. The two ministers exchanged views on bilateral relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and major regional and international issues, including the war in Ukraine, during a luncheon meeting following their bilateral meeting. Minister Cho expressed his pleasure at being invited by Minister Sikorski to visit Poland, the first visit by a South Korean foreign minister to Poland in six y
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “The Dominican Republic is ready, as well, for Korean investment in energy transition, for Korean services to decarbonize all sectors, for working together on creating a circular economy and for strengthening our defense and security,” said His Excellency Dr. Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Delivering a statement on the occasion of the 181st National Day Celebration of the Dominican Republic, which was held at the Ambassador Pullman Hotel in Seoul on March 6, Amb. Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo said, “That is why Dominican
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Seoul hosted a reception to celebrate the country’s national day and the 35 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Korea at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Feb. 28. Delivering welcoming remarks, H.E. Petar Kraytchev, the ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Korea, said, “In 2025 we celebrate 35 years of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Korea. Since 1990 the ties between our two countries have sustained a perpetual trend of enhan
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “Vietnam is a very attractive market because it's a market of 100 million people and it's an open market in formation. So a lot of sectors are being considered by businesses from Korea with such large corporations like Samsung, LG and Hanwha,” said Ambassador of Vietnam to South Korea Vu Ho. In an exclusive interview with Diplomacy journal at the Embassy of Vietnam in Bukchon-dong, Seoul on Feb. 27, Amb. Vu Ho said, “In Vietnam, there is also one community that is no less important for the small and medium-sized enterprises. So all of them are trying to get something
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik invited 18 Latin American ambassadors to the National Assembly's Sarangjae building for a luncheon meeting to discuss the current political situation after the emergency martial law and Korea-Latin America relations on Feb. 12. “Although Korea and Latin America are geographically far apart, we have overcome adversity together through the support of Latin American countries for the Korean War in 1950, and have become partners in opening up the future in cutting-edge fields such as aerospace, hydrogen, and defense,” said Speaker Woo
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Odil Temirov, Chairman of the Board, Uzkimyosanoat JSC, to UN Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. --Ed. Trade and economic relations between Uzbekistan and Malaysia are strengthening and expanding into new fields year by year, with the chemical industry emerging as a key strategic and promising sector. Given the prospects of both countries in developing the chemical industry and their expertise in modern technologies and ecological sustainability, cooperation in this field holds significant econo
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Madina Aripova, Сhief research fellow of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to UN Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. --Ed. Strengthening friendly relations and developing a multifaceted partnership with Malaysia is one of the important priorities of Uzbekistan's foreign policy in Asian direction. This year marks the 33rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. Over this period, Uzbek-Malaysia