By Thomas Lehmann, Danish Ambassador One of the most frequent conversations I have with people as a Danish ambassador is about the things our respective countries are famous for. Since coming to Korea in 2014, I found out that Denmark, in the minds of Koreans, was known for author Hans Christian Andersen, Lego and happy people, not to mention the bicycles, wind energy and clean environment. Denmark’s green profile is strongly grounded in fact. Denmark became the world’s first nation to establish

Aug. 17, 2015

Pakistan celebrated its national independence on Aug. 14 amid concerted efforts to eradicate terrorism and engage in global trade, Pakistani Ambassador Zahid Nasrullah Khan said last week. The Independence Day of Pakistan, which falls a day before India’s Aug. 15 Independence Day, is a commemoration of the country’s founding originating from the end of the British Raj in 1947. After a 40-year independence struggle, colonial India was separated into India, East Pakistan and West Pakistan, with Ea

Aug. 17, 2015

Seventy years after Korea’s liberation from Japan’s colonial rule, the two countries are often described as “distant neighbors,” an expression underscoring the psychological distance that remains unbridgeable due to their historical and territorial feuds. South Korean President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with U.S. President Barack Obama observing at a trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, in Marc

Aug. 16, 2015

Seoul’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se called for Tokyo’s “concrete actions” to prove its vows to uphold past apologies for its wartime misdeeds, noting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s speech to mark the 70 anniversary of the end of World War II “fell short of Koreans’ expectations.” Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se Ministry of Foreign AffairsIn a written interview with The Korea Herald last week, Yun also noted “meaningful, considerable progress” in Seoul’s ongoing negotiations with Tokyo over

Aug. 16, 2015

Shortly after its liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, the peninsula faced yet another tragedy as North Korea invaded the South five years later, driving the territory into ruin and deepening the plight of people on both sides of the border. Neither the 35-year foreign occupation nor the three-year war, however, could thwart South Korea’s epic political and economic ascent from the ashes. More than 60 years on, the country stands as the world’s 13th-largest economy in terms of gross d

Aug. 16, 2015

The recently clinched Iranian nuclear deal would further deepen Pyongyang’s isolation and add pressure on the communist regime to renounce its nuclear ambitions, Britain’s top diplomat said, noting that the landmark deal would be “useful” in addressing Korea’s security issues.During an interview with The Korea Herald and other media outlets here on Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond pointed out that consistently applying punitive pressures as done to Iran could help curb “illegal

Aug. 12, 2015

The Swiss embassy celebrated the country’s national day event with classical and traditional music that struck a chord of harmony among the participants. The Music Alps in Seongnam, a music festival born of a partnership between Zurich and the city of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, kicked off on Aug. 1 for two weeks at Seongnam Arts Center, coinciding with the Swiss National Day. Yodel group Korea Alpenrose Oergeli Kapelle at the Music Alps in Seongnam. Joel Lee / The Korea HeraldAs an exchange pr

Aug. 9, 2015

India joins Korea in celebrating its own independence from colonialism on Aug. 15. Colonial India’s last viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten of Britain, chose the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II in 1947 as the date to transfer power to the new Republic of India, ending 90 years of dominion. Unlike Japan, which forsook its 36-year occupation of Korea following a military defeat, Britain relinquished its colonial grip voluntarily as escalating anti-British uprisings threatened

Aug. 9, 2015

A world-famous Canadian stage show will come to Seoul in early September to entice passionate Korean theatergoers. “Quidam,” a circus spectacle combining music, theater and acrobatics, will open at the Seoul Sports Complex on Sept. 10. It will be the production’s final tour after 20 years of performances around the globe. The show was produced by Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil and premiered in Montreal in 1996. It has since captivated nearly 14 million fans in five continents th

Aug. 9, 2015

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Wednesday stepped up diplomacy to prevent North Korea’s possible provocations and the growth of its nuclear program, as he attended a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings involving Asia-Pacific nations in Malaysia.On the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum, high-level multilateral security talks involving 27 Asia-Pacific countries, Yun met with his counterparts from China and Russia to discuss North Korean threats, and other bilateral and

Aug. 5, 2015