[Herald Interview] ‘Bulgaria linchpin of European integration’

With the presidency of the Council of the European Union this year, Bulgaria looks to strengthen European integration and help the continent’s economic resiliency, interoperable security and cultural vibrancy, according to Bulgaria’s top envoy to Korea.Bulgaria assumes the rotating presidency from January through June. Under the slogan “United we stand strong” -- likewise displayed on Bulgaria’s coat of arms -- the Eastern European state will closely cooperate with its partners and EU institutio

Jan. 29, 2018

Australia, Korea celebrate business innovations

Australia and Korea are natural partners in an emerging multipolar world, harnessing their shared commitment to liberal democracy, complementary economies, common strategic interests and an openness to international engagement, says Australian Ambassador to Korea James Choi. Australia will strengthen its partnership with Korea, a country of “first order importance to Australia” as outlined in its recent Foreign Policy White Paper, he emphasized at a reception marking Australia Day in Seoul on Fr

Jan. 29, 2018

Indian Chamber of Commerce appoints new secretary general

Secretary General of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Lee Hwi-jae (ICCK)The Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea has announced the appointment of its new secretary general, Lee Hwi-jae.Lee, former vice president of Green Motors Co. in New Zealand and managing director of international relations at Korea Importers Association, succeeded Yoon Sock-joong, who served the institution for the past year and half, on Dec. 1 last year. “I am very pleased to become the secretary general of ICCK. I

Jan. 24, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Innovating France-Korea ties buttresses global governance’

Joachim Son-Forget, a French National Assemblyman who represents French citizens overseas, is an industrious middleman bridging France and the world through innovative enterprises. Found abandoned on the streets of Korea in 1983, Son-Forget was adopted to a French family at 3 months old. There, he grew up to become a radiologist and cognitive scientist, trained pianist and avid karate practitioner, before joining the party of French President Emmanuel Macron.The 34-year-old wunderkind represents

Jan. 22, 2018

Kazakhstan’s multivector diplomacy useful in disarmament, nonproliferation

Having voluntarily renounced its atomic arsenal in 1991, Kazakhstan urges North Korea to abandon its nuclear aspirations and capitalizes on its nonpermanent membership in the United Nations Security Council for a world free of weapons of mass destruction, according to the Kazakh Embassy in Seoul. Kazakhstan assumed the presidency of the supreme body of five permanent members -- nuclear powers the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain and France -- and 10 nonpermanent members in January. It

Jan. 22, 2018

[Herald Interview] Canadian veterans reminisce on hockey games in Korean War

The winter of early 1952 was cold enough to freeze the Imjin River that cuts across the inter-Korean border.The frigid weather let Canadian soldiers fighting in the Korean War indulge in their national pastime: ice hockey. In the thick of war, soldiers from the regiments Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and the Royal 22 Regiment, the “Van Doos,” put down their rifles and played a series of friendly hockey matches. The games were a precious respite from savage warfare.“I remember playi

Jan. 22, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Australia will bring passion from down under to PyeongChang’

Australian Ambassador James Choi wakes up at 5:30 a.m. for his daily run. “Running gives me a sense of purpose, motivation and energy,” he told The Korea Herald, stressing that a marathon requires half a year of training. “The training and discipline required for a marathon directly translate into how I go about my professional career.” Choi, his country’s first Korean-Australian ambassador, ran the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Torch Relay on Sunday morning with embassy staff and the Australian and

Jan. 15, 2018

Scrumptious Sri Lankan dishes available at Hilton

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Seoul will help organize a Sri Lanka Food Festival at Millennium Seoul Hilton from Feb. 1 through Feb. 10. The event at the hotel’s Cafe 395 Buffet Restaurant will feature a variety of authentic, scrumptious dishes of the South Asian island nation, which will be prepared by two local chefs of Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Sri Lanka flown in to Korea. The inaugural dinner will take place on Feb. 1.Sri Lankan cuisine has been shaped by a myriad of historical, cultural and c

Jan. 15, 2018

Georgia touted safe, beguiling tourism destination

Georgia is among the safest countries in the world to travel in, according to the United States State Department’s latest travel advisory.The advisory offers recommendations to US travelers with information on the safety and security situation of countries around the globe. Georgia is listed in the top tier of countries -- the lowest advisory level for safety and security risk -- out of four categories. The top level urges visitors to “exercise normal precautions,” while acknowledging there is s

Jan. 15, 2018

Diplomats recognized for denuclearization efforts

Diplomats from the disarmament delegations of Austria, Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as Costa Rica’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Elayne Whyte Gomez, have received the highest number of votes in a recent online poll to recognize the “2017 Arms Control Person(s) of the Year.” The distinction recognizes their efforts to bring into being the historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted by the UN on July 7 las

Jan. 15, 2018

‘Pyongyang’s participation in PyeongChang can be Trojan Horse’

With the two Koreas set to hold high-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjeom on Tuesday, calls are growing for Seoul not to submit gratuitously to Pyongyang’s expected demands for concessions. Analysts have cautioned the pitfalls of North Korea’s peace offensive, proven over the years as guileful, as the regime has often used an olive branch to double-cross or buy time. Experts call for continuing “maximum pressure and engagement” to bring about the communist nation’s denuclearization.Nor

Jan. 8, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Normalizing age of uncertainty requires diplomacy of imagination’

South Korea can and should go beyond the great power dynamics of the United States and China and proactively look further afield for strong partnerships, according to China expert John Delury. Instead of oscillating self-consciously between Washington and Beijing, the Yonsei University professor suggests South Korea can strengthen its relationships with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union. Delury told The Korea Herald that much of what was observed last year between

Jan. 1, 2018

[Herald Interview] Dreaming of Pyongyang as charming metropolis

Gazing into Google Earth imagery of Pyongyang, Yim Dong-woo was startled by the pace of development unfolding on the screen. “It was incredible,” he told The Korea Herald, explaining that numerous construction projects have been undertaken in the North Korean capital, unbeknownst to the outside world. “As an example, in Pipa-dong west of the Arch of Triumph, new apartment blocks replaced one-story ramshackle homes in droves. And they just kept filling in the plot. The sheer scale of construction

Dec. 25, 2017

‘Kazakhstan-Korea relations beckon great expectations’

In the early 1990s, Kazakhstan and Korea barely knew each other. But over the decades that followed, the two nations have strengthened their relations by leaps and bounds, becoming strategic partners and exploring new horizons for a shared sustainable future, Kazakhstan’s top envoy here highlighted last week while celebrating the silver jubilee of bilateral diplomatic relations.Similar to Korea that has achieved its “economic miracle on the Han River,” Kazakhstan is now universally recognized fo

Dec. 18, 2017

Christmas reception at UK Embassy

British Ambassador to Korea Charles Hay speaks in front of the children’s choir of the Seoul Foreign British School at the Christmas reception at the envoy’s residence in Seoul on Wednesday. On Saturday, the envoy participated in a ceremony remembering the old site of the British legation during the 1950-53 Korean War in Busan. During the war, in which some 80,000 British troops fought and 1,100 died, the embassy in Seoul moved to Busan. Hay, Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Sue Kinoshita, Rep. Yo

Dec. 18, 2017

Georgia dials up diplomacy with Korea at silver jubilee

Despite the distance between them, Georgia and Korea share many similarities that have made them freedom-loving, free market-oriented partners increasingly drawing on one another, the top Georgian envoy here has stressed. As the two countries celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, they can also cherish having transformed their tumultuous legacies under foreign occupations into independence and solid development, Georgian Ambassador to Korea Otar Berdzenishvili told The

Dec. 18, 2017

First lady to recite poem in support of Moon’s China visit

First lady Kim Jung-sook will recite a Korean poem on a Chinese webcast platform Wednesday to support President Moon’s state visit to China.Cheong Wa Dae said Monday that Kim would read “Visitor” by Chong Hyon-jong on “The Poem for You,” a China-based media platform that promotes poetry as a tool for communication.Kim’s reading will be aired on the platform at 10 p.m. local time, which will also be shared across Chinese social media outlets.According to Cheong Wa Dae, Kim chose Chong’s work for

Dec. 12, 2017

Books provide rudder for ASEAN-Korea partnership

The ASEAN-Korea Centre recently published a book that takes stock of the last 50 years of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and evaluates its prospering strategic partnership with South Korea. “Partnering for Tomorrow: ASEAN-Korea Relations in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN and ASEAN-ROK Cultural Exchange Year,” compiles researches and opinions reviewed at the International Conference on ASEAN-Korea Partnership in Seoul in August. The book covers three pillars of the bilat

Dec. 11, 2017

‘Ecuador, land of virginal opportunities’

On the northwestern corner of South America, Ecuador is uniquely positioned to engage with the outer world, including the economically dynamic East Asia across the Pacific Ocean. The equatorial country -- hence the name “Ecuador” -- offers the rule of law, political stability, a dollar-based growing economy, and an abundance of natural resources, Ecuadorian Minister of International Trade, Pablo Campana Saenz said in an interview with local media on Dec. 5.“Our government under President Lenin M

Dec. 11, 2017