Turkey promotes unexplored treasures

Although describing Turkey as a bridge between the East and West has long been a cliche, the country continues to offer connections for people from every corner of the world. Turkey has shorelines on the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, towns and villages with eclectic architecture and world-class ski resorts and golf courses.  Ali Karakus, the director of the Turkish Embassy's office of culture an information, poses with Nas Communication CEO Na Eun-Kyung at the Korea Travel Fair 2015 at Coex i

June 21, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Dialogue is crucial for building Korea-Japan trust’

Seoul and Tokyo should increase high-level dialogue to enhance mutual understanding, trust and respect and mitigate their historical tensions, a Japanese scholar said.Junya Nishino, political science professor at Keio University in Tokyo, noted that dialogue was crucial to ensure mutually beneficial cooperation to cope with the changing contours of regional politics and security.“The two sides need to talk to bridge their differences. The absence of top-level dialogue has resulted in a lack of m

June 21, 2015

Georgia trumpets status as the jewel of Caucasus

Georgia has described itself as the hidden tourist gem of the Caucasus for many years. Aided by government-led promotion and online marketing, tourists from around the world are opening their eyes to the country’s treasure trove of attractions.Situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Georgia has had cultural interactions with neighboring Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey for centuries. As a result, the tourism experience is multifaceted and multilayered, offering a mix of historic sig

June 21, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Park should look to take on broader Asia peace role’

A South Korean scholar called on President Park Geun-hye to take on a broader leadership role for East Asian peace rather than focusing on peninsular security, stressing the need for her to lead the country’s ties with Japan in a direction that promotes regional stability.Nam Ki-jeong, a professor at the Institute for Japanese Studies in Seoul National University, said the improved Seoul-Tokyo ties would create leverage to enhance the ties between the two Koreas and between Pyongyang and Tokyo,

June 21, 2015

FM Yun leaves for Japan to attend fence-mending talks

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se began his two-day visit to Japan on Sunday where he will meet with his Japanese counterpart on mending ties that have been frayed over shared history.  The visit, Yun's first to Japan since taking office in 2013, comes as the Northeast Asian neighbors mark next week the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties.  Yun was to hold talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida shortly after arriving there, according to a press release from the South

June 21, 2015

Korea, U.S. celebrate friendship

The Korea America Friendship Society held a reception Thursday commemorating the contribution of U.S. Armed Forces personnel in Korea and growing bilateral ties built on the foundation of the military alliance. The event is hosted each June to commemorate the sacrifices made by American veterans and troops in protecting South Korea from communist forces. Korea celebrates the 65th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War this year. Some 600 military servicepersons, diplomats, university pres

June 19, 2015

Europe shares reconciliation legacy with East Asia

Seventy years after the end of World War II, reconciliation efforts among the once-enemy countries of Europe and Asia have taken divergent paths, with the former achieving continental integration and the latter trapped in historical disputes.Europe’s former foes put their bloody history behind to accomplish political, economic and social confederation through the European Union established in 1993. East Asia, on the other hand, has been mired in geopolitical tensions despite its integrated econo

June 18, 2015

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea, Southeast Asia have common destiny’

South Korea’s partnership with ASEAN goes way beyond the economic realm, the head of the ASEAN-Korea Center said, defining the geostrategically crucial 10-nation group as sharing a “common destiny” with the country. Kim Young-sun stressed that Korea’s evolving relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is vital given the bloc’s geopolitical value and growth potential and the ramifications of its ongoing integration efforts, not to mention the two sides’ complementary economies.

June 18, 2015

Philippines marks independence day

The Philippines Embassy marked the 117th anniversary of national independence with a reception on Friday, while celebrating deepening ties with Korea that have stretched over 66 years. The relations between the Philippines and Korea are breaking new grounds every year, as both countries are progressively intertwined through diplomacy, trade and investment, tourism, marriage and culture. The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1949. The relationship strengthened during the Korean War (19

June 14, 2015

Korea CQ Club hosts alumni gathering

The Corea Image Communications Institute held a reception at the Indonesian Embassy on Tuesday, which marked the graduation of the Korea Culture Quotient Club’s 19th class. Indonesian Ambassador John Prasetio and his wife Alexandra, new Indian Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami and his wife Sangeeta, new Singaporean Ambassador Wei Kiat Yip, Malaysian Ambassador Rohana Ramli, Turkish Ambassador Arslan Hakan Okcal, Austrian Ambassador Elisabeth Bertagnoli, Irish Ambassador Aingeal O’Donoghue, Spanish Am

June 14, 2015

Korean-Argentine artist unveils spiritual passion

An 80-year-old Korean-Argentine woman artist opened an exhibition in Seoul, bringing the two countries’ peoples closer through her spiritualism-oriented works. Seventy art pieces of painting, wood sculpture and stonework by artist Kim Yun-shin are displayed at the Hanwon Museum of Art in Seoul from June 11-July 8. Kim, a former professor at the Sangmyung University in Seoul, immigrated to Argentina in 1984, after a trip enchanted her.Intense sun, pristine forests, vast meadows, idle cattle and f

June 14, 2015

World Food Program calls for critical assistance

Inside the camp for the internally displaced persons in the Sulaymaniah Province of Iraq, the temperature hovers above 50 degrees Celsius at midday.The people have been living in the middle of the desert for over a year without tap water, proper sanitation or electricity. Crowded families of 5 to 10 people survive on rice porridge and onions each day. In late May, Jane Pearce, the country director of the United Nations World Food Program, visited the camp and went inside one family’s tent as par

June 14, 2015