Morocco marks Throne Day, thriving ties with Korea

The Moroccan embassy celebrated the 17th anniversary of King Mohammed VI’s enthronement and burgeoning ties with Korea at a reception in Seoul last week. “More than just a festive event, Moroccans are commemorating the longstanding tradition of the ‘act of allegiance,’ a binding contract between the king and the people,” Moroccan Ambassador Mohammed Chraibi said in a speech on Aug. 1. “The Throne Day is a unique tribute to the millennial attachment between the king and the people. It represents

Aug. 7, 2016

Bolivia welcomes investment amid industrialization boom

The Bolivian embassy commemorated the 191th anniversary of national independence last week, also highlighting opportunities in the course of a decade-long social and economic progress.The event on Aug. 6, 1825 liberated the Latin American nation from the grip of colonial Spain that had started in the 16th century. Through unrelenting guerilla resistance by revolutionaries since 1809 -- chiefly Venezuelan general and politician Simon Bolivar, whose name gave birth to “Bolivia,” and Venezuelan fre

Aug. 7, 2016

Students of Asia envisage integrated future at workshop

For Bruneian student Noorlela M.D. Yassin, her trip to Korea in early August was an intellectually rocking exercise. An undergraduate at the University of Brunei Darussalam majoring in marine biology, she had long coveted researching microplastic pollution in waters off the coast of her home. Her aspiration found a dose of inspiration when she participated in the 2016 ASEAN-Korea Youth Network Workshop in Korea last week, an annual program that gathered some 80 university students from 13 countr

Aug. 7, 2016

Chief warns against linking ‘comfort women’ issue, girl statue

Despite persistent controversy over the fate of a memorial for the survivors of Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement, Japan ought not to raise the issue as a precondition for the transfer of the pledged 1 billion yen ($9.8 million) for a newly created fund, its chief warned Sunday.  Kim Tae-hyeon, president of the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, was adamant that last December’s settlement with Seoul would be annulled if Tokyo insisted on removal of the statue in front of its embassy in Seou

Aug. 7, 2016

New law to boost public diplomacy

Korea’s first-ever public diplomacy act took effect Thursday, laying the legal and institutional groundwork for activities aimed to raise awareness among foreign citizens of its policies and interests.The legislation and its enforcement decree, respectively enacted last February and May, are designed to facilitate the central government’s coordination with municipalities, private entities and other stakeholders, streamlining the planning process and minimizing overlaps.The landmark law comes as

Aug. 4, 2016

New law set to take force to harness Korea's public diplomacy

Dutch middle-school textbooks on history and geography had depicted South Korea as a cheap-labor economy dependent on fish processing. This was up until South Korean diplomats successfully persuaded the publishers to update their texts two years ago, officials at the foreign ministry here said Wednesday. Now, South Korea is portrayed as a "rich country" that produces cutting-edge smartphones and digital televisions.In another similar case, 11 Spanish middle- and high-school course books were rev

Aug. 3, 2016

Korea protests Japan's fresh claims to Dokdo

Korea on Tuesday protested Japan’s repeated sovereignty claims to the easternmost Dokdo Islets in its annual defense white paper, further straining relations between the neighboring countries.Earlier in the day, Tokyo claimed the islets in the East Sea along with the South Kuril Islands --- referred to as “northern territories” by Japan -- as its “own territory.” The annual document also said that the disputes involving the cited lands remain unsettled.It marks the 12th straight year that Japan

Aug. 2, 2016

Japan lays claim to Dokdo again in defense white paper

Japan laid claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo again on Tuesday, raising worries that it could deepen diplomatic friction between the two neighboring countries.Earlier in the day, Japan's defense ministry released a white paper in which it referred to Dokdo along with Kuril Islands as its sovereign territory. This marked the 12th consecutive year that Tokyo claimed sovereignty over the islets in the annual paper."The territorial issue over our sovereign territory of the Northern T

Aug. 2, 2016

Swiss Ambassador retires before National Day

Swiss Ambassador Jorg Alois Reding finished his diplomatic career in late July after 35 years of Foreign Service at various departments and overseas missions of the Swiss Confederation. At the embassy reception Tuesday in Seoul, which marked the 725th anniversary of Switzerland’s nationhood on Aug. 1, the envoy reflected on his posting in Korea as well as deepening bilateral relations. “My family and I have spent unforgettable years in Seoul,” he said in a speech in Korean. “I had the opportunit

July 31, 2016

‘Turkey’s democracy forestalls anarchy’s tyranny’

On the night of July 15, Turkish Ambassador Arslan Hakan Okcal was dining at his friend’s house in Bodrum, Turkey, a popular vacation spot off the coast of the Aegean Sea. At around 10 p.m., his wife, seeing ominous developments on social media, alerted Okcal, “Something’s happening.” The couple quickly switched on the television and, to their shock, watched fighter jets skidding dangerously low over the city sky, tanks shelling state buildings and people protesting on the streets. “The media wa

July 31, 2016

‘Free trade still backbone of global prosperity’

Following Britain’s anticipated exit from the European Union, the U.K. economy will suffer from its self-inflicted withdrawal, while the impact on Europe will be minor, an influential economist has said.Klaus Regling, managing director of the European Stability Mechanism -- an intergovernmental organization based in Luxembourg City that provides financial assistance to eurozone member states in an emergency -- came to Korea to participate in the Global Financial Stability Conference 2016 in Seou

July 31, 2016

[NEWSMAKER] Protests mar 'comfort women' fund launch

Korea launched a 1 billion yen ($9.55 million) fund on Thursday for the victims of Japan’s sexual slavery during World War II despite unabated protests from some survivors and civic groups.  The Foundation for Reconciliation and Healing held its inauguration ceremony and first meeting of the board of directors at its secretariat in downtown Seoul. Kim Tae-hyeon, professor emeritus in social welfare studies at Sungshin Women’s University, exits the event as one of the protesters threw a capsaicin

July 28, 2016