Ruling party leader to visit China this week

Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party, will travel to Beijing this week to attend an international meeting of political parties and talks with Chinese officials and South Korean residents, her aide said Monday.  During her four-day visit, which begins Thursday, Choo will attend the meeting, titled the "Communist Party of China in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting," slated to take place Thursday through Sunday.Some 200 political parties and organizations fro

Nov. 27, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Latvia highlights soaring friendship with Korea on 99th anniversary

Latvia and Korea -- separated by over 7,200 kilometers -- are said to share close, kindred aspirations for prosperity and cooperation, crystallized through centuries of struggle for self-determination. Latvia waded through devastating foreign reigns, but preserved its indigenous spirit, culture and language, a historical path that has similarly molded the modern Korean psyche. Akin to South Korea perennially under the menace of its bellicose northern neighbor, Latvia has had to confront increasi

Nov. 20, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Religious tolerance is a test of democracy in Indonesia’

Indonesia, by virtue of its geography as a vast nation of 17,000 islands, couldn’t isolate itself from waves of Islamic influence that started arriving on its shores largely since the late 13th century. Islam was first introduced by Arab traders, then by Islamic scholars and their missionary activities. It was later adopted by local rulers and converts, and acted as a rallying call against foreign occupiers during the late colonial period.Religion, much like everything else in the heterogeneous

Nov. 20, 2017

New Zealand, Korea celebrate innovative ties

The New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea, also known as the Kiwi Chamber, marked another year of innovation, growth and friendship between New Zealand and Korea at an annual year-end hui, or gathering, last week.The event at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on Wednesday drew some 200 guests, including New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Clare Fearnley, Wellington Mayor Justin Lester, Chamber Chairman Tony Garrett and Dongwon CNS Vice Chairman Park In-koo.“The relationship between Korea and New Zeala

Nov. 20, 2017

Iranian handicrafts to be unveiled

The Iranian Embassy will help showcase the country’s handicraft treasures from Thursday to Sunday at the Korea Foundation Gallery in Seoul, marking the 2017 Iran-Korea Cultural Exchange Year. The event, “Amazing Hands: Craft Art from Iran,” will feature handicrafts, historical artifacts and carpets, among other things. It is hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization. The opening ceremony will take place Thursday at 4 p.m

Nov. 20, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Arctic, fragile vessel of nature, sustainable heritage’

Canadian Arctic scientist John England (left) and Canadian Inuit activist Caitlyn Baikie speak to The Korea Herald about the Arctic region’s precious ecosystem and challenges facing Inuit communities, respectively, at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul on Nov. 7 (Joel Lee/The Korea Herald)Canadian scientist John England has spent over 50 summers across Canada’s Arctic, painstakingly surveying its ecosystem and evolution from the Ice Age to present day.The 70-year-old University of Alberta professor e

Nov. 13, 2017

Sizing up future jobs

Members of the Korea CQ Forum -- an intellectual and networking platform for opinion leaders -- organized by the Corea Image Communications Institute pose at a gathering at the Latvian Embassy in Seoul on Nov. 7.They listened to a lecture on fostering creativity in the age of automation by professor Lee Kwang-hyung at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology’s Department of Bio and Brain Engineering. In the photo are Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars (tall person in the b

Nov. 13, 2017

Celebrating Polish food

Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski (left) poses at restaurant Zelen in Itaewon in Seoul on Nov. 7 in celebration of the “Taste of Poland” food festival that runs through Nov. 30. Various soups (traditional sour soup with rye flour, borsch with sour cream), appetizers (vegetable salad with mayonnaise, cold jellied pork knuckles, meat dumplings, mushroom and sauerkraut dumplings), entrees (Bigos meat and cabbage stew, apple-stuffed duck, beef and mushroom stew, meat roulade with cucumber

Nov. 13, 2017

‘South Africa offers peerless tourism wonders’

South Africa has evolved from a safari-oriented destination to a world-class haven catering to diverse tastes of international travelers, according to the country’s top envoy to Korea. The country at the foot of Africa has been relatively unexplored by Korean visitors over the years, despite offering wide-ranging attractions from natural adventure to cultural heritage.“We are now one of the most sought-after destinations in the world offering a variety of unforgettable experiences in leisure, ec

Nov. 13, 2017

[Herald Interview] Masterminding building blocks of future with World Bank

The World Bank and Korea are working side by side to tackle some of the world’s most paramount economic challenges, said the multilateral institution’s senior executive, noting the partners increasingly draw on each other’s financial acumen and developmental expertise in the service of global sustainable development. Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank regional vice president of East Asia and the Pacific, stressed in an exclusive interview that Korea’s knowledge and experience in postwar economic growth

Nov. 13, 2017

Seoul not considering role in Indo-Pacific alliance: official

JAKARTA -- South Korea will not join an Indo-Pacific regime, at least for now, a ranking South Korean official said Thursday.The clear rejection came one day after US President Donald Trump noted the Korea-US alliance was helping ensure peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region in a joint statement summarizing his earlier summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Seoul."President Trump highlighted that the United States-Republic of Korea Alliance, built upon mutual trust and shared

Nov. 9, 2017

‘ASEAN, Korean youths foresee strong partnership’: report

Amid South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s weeklong tour of Southeast Asian countries that started Wednesday, a seminal report prefiguring a bright future relationship between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Korea has been released. “A survey on mutual perceptions of ASEAN and Korean youths,” co-published by the ASEAN-Korea Center and Korea Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, is an inquiry into the minds of young generations who will form the bedrock of the two regions’ sustainab

Nov. 9, 2017

Korean, Indonesian leaders set for bilateral summit

JAKARTA -- The leaders of South Korea and Indonesia were set to hold their bilateral summit Thursday with their discussions expected to focus on ways to improve cooperation and joint efforts to denuclearize North Korea.The summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Indonesian President Joko Widodo was set to begin later in the day, marking the first of its kind.Moon arrived here Wednesday on a three-day state visit that marked his first-ever state visit to a foreign state since taking

Nov. 9, 2017

Korean president to embark on three-nation Southeast Asia trip

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to leave for Indonesia Wednesday as part of his three-nation Southeast Asia tour for bilateral summits and regional forums.The South Korean leader was due in Jakarta later in the day for a three-day visit. It will mark his first-ever state visit to a foreign country since taking office in May, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.Moon and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo are scheduled to hold a bilateral summit on Thursday to discuss

Nov. 8, 2017

China to send high-level delegation to Korea amid improving ties

China is planning to send a high-level delegation to South Korea to explain the outcome of the ruling Communist Party's recent congress, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.The move comes after the two countries announced last week that they had reached an agreement to improve bilateral ties frayed by the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea. (Yonhap)"China is preparing to dispatch a high-level delegation to explain the result of the party's 19th cong

Nov. 7, 2017

Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway spurs Asia-Europe trade

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway began service on Oct. 30 with its first official run across Azerbaijan, Georgia and the east of Turkey, greatly facilitating regional trade as part of China’s “One Belt One Road” initiative, according to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Seoul. The 846-kilometer project -- part and parcel of the Trans-Asian Railway Network, also known as the “Iron Silk Road” -- is expected to halve the time it takes to move goods from China to Turkey. It is a crucial part of the OBOR initi

Nov. 6, 2017

Friendship association welcomes Trump

A coalition of pro-American organizations here moved to welcome US President Donald Trump on his two-day visit to Korea starting Tuesday. “Our alliance was forged in blood and laid the foundation for freedom and the peace and prosperity of ROK. We stood and fought together in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq,” the ROK-US Friendship Association United said in a press statement.“The people of the Republic of Korea will never forget the noble sacrifices of US soldiers, sailors, airmen and marin

Nov. 6, 2017

‘Moderate Islam holds key to modernization’

Iranian Ambassador to Korea Hassan Taherian has faithfully practiced Islam, believing that a life of piety, honesty and integrity is any Muslim’s starting point. At a time when different interpretations of Islam -- from purist to reformist, and from Shiite to Sunni -- are engrossing Iranian domestic politics and the larger Middle East, the envoy conveyed his personal view that a true Muslim ought to live scrupulously in line with Islamic teachings and norms, and not enforce his or her belief on

Nov. 6, 2017

‘NATO, Korea partners in universal peacemaking’

In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and South Korea are indispensable partners coping with irreducible challenges across the globe, said the chief of NATO during a visit to Korea last week.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg came to Korea on a two-day trip starting Wednesday to deepen the Euro-Atlantic alliance’s partnership with Seoul. He discussed common security challenges with Korean President Moon Jae-in, Foreign Minister Kang Kyun

Nov. 6, 2017