Italian Embassy brings award-winning pianist to Seoul

The Italian Culture Institute will bring award-winning pianist Christian Leotta to perform a recital dedicated to the sonatas of Beethoven at Ilshin Hall in Hannam-dong, Seoul, on Feb. 4. Leotta is renowned for his vast repertoire, and has received numerous accolades for being the youngest pianist since the youthful Daniel Barenboim to both perform and record the entire corpus of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas.Leotta will perform Beethoven as part of an East Asia tour that includes stops in Osaka,

Jan. 20, 2013

The life of an honorary consul

Iceland does not have an embassy in Korea, but it does have a diplomatic representative.Cho Hae-hyeong, chairman and CEO of Nara Holdings and former CEO of Ssangyong Corp., has been an important catalyst in the diplomatic relations between Korea and Iceland for years ― 25 years to be exact ― as the honorary consul-general of Iceland.Iceland does not pay him for the work he does. Cho was not born in Iceland and is not even a citizen of Iceland ― he is Korean.  As honorary consul general, Cho prov

Jan. 20, 2013

‘Tatra Tiger’ celebrates 20 years of independence

Slovakia celebrated 20 years as an independent nation and 20 years of diplomatic relations with Korea in a reception at Seoul Millennium Hilton Hotel on Monday.Slovakia achieved independence on Jan. 1, 1993.“We Slovaks struggled for centuries for national existence and statehood,” Slovak Ambassador to Korea Dusan Bella said in a moving speech before assembled guests, government officials and foreign diplomats. “Jan. 1, 1993, symbolizes the birth of a sovereign Slovakia and is a starting point of

Jan. 20, 2013

Korea, U.S. to discuss ways to boost alliance

President-elect Park Geun-hye pledged Wednesday to upgrade the Korea-U.S. alliance to tackle North Korean threats and security uncertainties during a meeting with senior U.S. officials. The president-in-waiting met with Kurt Campbell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and four other officials in her Seoul office. During the meeting, Campbell told her that he brought with him a “road map for Korea-U.S. relations” and wanted to have a productive discussion with

Jan. 16, 2013

New Japanese envoy speaks on Korea ties

Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Koro Bessho on Tuesday expressed optimism that Korea and Japan should forge a future-oriented relationship under their new leaders despite simmering diplomatic disputes. “I think it is very important for the two leaders, Madame Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to try to iron out our relationship,” Bessho said at a lecture held in Seoul. “I am optimistic that we can try to look for a relationship with a stable future,” he added.Bessho also defended Tokyo’s

Jan. 15, 2013

Park eyes faster security decision-making

Incoming leader Park Geun-hye plans to set up a new presidential body to serve as a nerve center for crisis management and diplomatic and defense policies in order to better cope with North Korean threats and the fast-changing security environment. Her aides said the national security bureau will be installed at Cheong Wa Dae and led by a Cabinet-level official, who will be not only the chief security adviser to the president but also the top channel for long-term strategy planning, inter-agency

Jan. 15, 2013

Park requests U.K., French support for N. Korea policy

President-elect Park Geun-hye on Monday called for cooperation from Britain and France to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programs and build trust with Seoul and the international community. She met with ambassadors from the two European and nine Southeast Asian nations in her office in downtown Seoul. “It is very difficult now for a nation to develop without working together with the international community as its responsible member. I hope to see North Korea choose that path and ch

Jan. 14, 2013

Envoys spark Olympic spirit among youth

Foreign envoys in Seoul braved the winter chill on Monday to take part in a kickoff ceremony for an international sports camp designed to hone the Olympic spirit among youths from developing countries.For two intensive weeks until Jan. 16, 166 young people from 40 countries are living together, eating together and training together in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, home to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, in what is dubbed the “Dream Program.” The program is geared toward young people who might ot

Jan. 13, 2013

Domestic matters to have bigger impact in Israel’s Jan. 22 elections

Israelis head to the polls on Jan. 22, but Israeli Ambassador to Korea Tuvia Israeli cast his vote at his country’s chancery on Thursday.“Many important countries held elections in recent months. Now Israelis are having theirs,” Israeli said during an intimate discussion session held at the Israeli Embassy with a handful of reporters and Israeli diplomats.Israelis living outside the country are not permitted to cast ballots in elections, but seamen and diplomats and their families and other offi

Jan. 13, 2013

Why Paraguay is called happiest place on Earth

Money cannot buy you happiness. That is what is sometimes said, and a recent Gallup poll suggests the happiest people on Earth are not in Luxembourg ― the wealthiest country in the world, according to World Bank estimates ― but in mostly rural, mostly poor Paraguay.Paraguayan Ambassador to Korea Ceferino Valdez said it is because of a quintessentially Paraguayan sentiment described colloquially as “tranquilo pa,” which is a combination of the Spanish word for tranquility and the Guarani “pa.”Val

Jan. 13, 2013