Art fair brings Ibero-America to Korea

A slew of European and Latin American diplomatic missions in Seoul are participating, with organizer Gallery Bellarte, in the Ibero-American Art Fair Seoul 2012 at Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul from Nov. 15 to 19.Gallery Bellarte brought hundreds of artworks by more than 50 artists, including pieces by art world heavyweights Wifredo Lam of Cuba, Oswaldo Guayasamin of Ecuador and Carlos Cruz-Diez and Jesus Rafael Soto of Venezuela.Gallery Bellarte created the Ibero-Am

Nov. 11, 2012

New Lebanese envoy sees art beyond strategic ties

Korea has a strategically important relationship with Lebanon, by virtue of its 350-strong troop contingent deployed there since 2007 to help oversee a United Nations peacekeeping operation. But that relationship will now likely further expand into areas of art and culture with newly arrived Lebanese Ambassador to Korea Jad El-Hassan. El-Hassan is keenly interested in traditional Korean furniture and art, and he wants to make artistic exchanges an integral part of his posting here.“I would like

Nov. 11, 2012

S. Korea, Thailand agree to upgrade ties to 'strategic partnership'

BANGKOK (Yonhap News) -- South Korea and Thailand agreed Saturday to launch preliminary talks and a joint study toward a possible free trade deal as their leaders pledged to upgrade relations between the two countries to a "strategic partnership."South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra reached the agreement during summit talks in Bangkok, pledging to work closely together to expand bilateral trade volume to US$30 billion by 2016, according to a joint stat

Nov. 10, 2012

Korea braces for China slowdown

Following is the last in a series of articles on the future relations between China and two Koreas under next Chinese leader Xi Jinping ― Ed.A rising China has been a boon for the Korean economy as its top export market, a major manufacturing base and rich source of investment, tourism and cheap products, despite the countries’ growing competition in the world markets. Their ever-deepening ties are about to take a fresh turn as the world’s second-largest economy shifts toward domestic consumptio

Nov. 7, 2012

Obama faces tough foreign policy challenges

This is the first in the series of articles on the growing rivalry between the U.S. and China and its implications on the two Koreas and East Asia. The first installation deals with President Barack Obama’s re-election, his foreign policy agenda and its impact on the region. ― Ed.U.S. President Barack Obama has little time to bask in the euphoria of his re-election as he faces an array of daunting foreign policy challenges including an increasingly assertive China, nuclear-armed North Korea, and

Nov. 7, 2012

Social protection key to economic growth: UNDP

Globalization spreads growth and risks. Trade and development have lifted many countries out of poverty but also left inequality and disintegration in their wake.To cope with the “growing pains,” countries should pursue a strategy that intrinsically combines growth and social protection in a way tailored to their unique conditions and specific needs, said Anne-Isabelle Degryse-Blateau, director of the United Nations Development Program’s Seoul Policy Center. “Social protection is actually an ess

Nov. 6, 2012

Race deadlocked as Americans vote

The long, bitterly fought race to The White House reached its end on Tuesday as Americans voted in what looked likely to be one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history. While neither candidate had a decisive edge, the latest Reuters/Ipsos national poll of likely voters showed President Barack Obama slightly ahead of Republican rival Mitt Romney, 48 percent to 46 percent.The same poll showed Obama ahead in Ohio, considered one of the most important of the 11 swing states that will d

Nov. 6, 2012

Seoul-Beijing ties to face new test with Xi Jinping at helm

Following is the second in a series of articles on the future relations between China and two Koreas under next Chinese leader Xi Jinping ― Ed.Despite ever-growing economic interdependence, South Korea and China remain discordant over history, territory, fishing, North Korean defectors and regional security issues.With China ushering in a new leader this week, the two governments are expected to continue to try containing those volatile issues from flaring up, as stable bilateral ties are crucia

Nov. 4, 2012

[Newsmaker] Bloomberg blinks on NYC marathon

A call to carry on as normal in a time of crisis can be taken as an invocation of hope and strength. Or it can be interpreted as insensitivity to others’ plight. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg learned the latter on Friday when a public outcry forced him to cancel this year’s New York City Marathon in the city still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. Just hours earlier, Bloomberg had pledged the world’s biggest marathon would go ahead as planned.The billionaire mayor had argued that holding

Nov. 4, 2012

Dominican rum, pirate tales make splash in Korea

When one thinks of rum, it is difficult not to invoke the romantic images of the verdant environs of the Dominican Republic and, of course, the swashbuckling adventures of hardscrabble pirates.One might first think of clips from Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,” or maybe the well known English pirate of yesteryear Blackbeard (a.k.a. Edward Teach). The most famous ― if one can use such a word when taking about pirates ― in the Caribbean and Latin America, however, was Roberto Cofresi.Cofresi r

Nov. 4, 2012

Austria celebrates National Day, 120 years of ties

Austria celebrated its National Day and commemorated the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Austria and Korea at Banyan Tree Spa & Resort in Seoul, Monday.VIPs from the government and the foreign diplomatic community, as well as special guest and former Korean Ambassador to Austria Rep. Shim Yoon-joe of the Saenuri Party joined with some 200 guests and friends of Austria to listen to a performance of the Vienna Boys Choir.Austria celebrated its first National

Nov. 4, 2012

Envoys upgrade negotiating skills

Negotiation is an everyday part of our ordinary lives, from deciding on where to eat out to which movie to see. Negotiation is, however, the bread-and-butter of diplomats; it is what they do. Their careers and ― far more crucially, the national interests of their countries ― depend on their skills as negotiators.About two dozen foreign envoys from nearly as many nations got together on Thursday to hone their negotiating skills at the Institute of Global Management, a Seoul-based consulting firm,

Nov. 4, 2012

Swing states leave U.S. election up in the air

U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s race to the White House remained too close to call with less than a week to the election, according to opinion polls on Wednesday.Obama leads the national vote 47 percent to 46 percent, but more significant are the numbers in the vital swing states that will decide the election. The most recent Real Clear Politics average of polls in the 11 swing states put Obama ahead of Romney by less than one percentage point with 48.5 percen

Nov. 1, 2012

Shift in N.K. policy unlikely under China’s new leadership

Following is the first in a series of articles on the future relations between China and two Koreas under next Chinese leader Xi Jinping ― Ed.One week before enthronement, China’s next leaders are expected to maintain their predecessors’ policy toward stability on the Korean Peninsula, experts said. Ahead of the once-in-a-decade power transition in the emerging global powerhouse, the international community is closely watching for any signs of shift in its policy toward Pyongyang. While almost n

Oct. 31, 2012