Indonesian music, dance spark cultural chemistry

As the hypnotic harmony of percussion instruments rippled throughout the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul on Sept. 17, Indonesian and Korean audiences sat still side by side, thoroughly tuned to the Gamelan music performed in front of them. The event on the pleasant Sunday afternoon featured performances of Indonesia’s traditional ensemble music Gamelan and lion dance Reog, marking the launch of weekly music classes for students. “Harmony in Gamelan is created through the disciplined application of e

Sept. 25, 2017

Entrepreneurs share secrets of success with youths

Kim Doo-hwan was in dire straits as his father’s business was teetering on a slippery slope following the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Kim, deprived but determined to succeed, worked countless odd jobs to pay for his tuition and living expenses when he entered university in the early 2000s. Eager to escape menial work, he launched an online advertising company after finishing his military service. The enterprise took off propitiously, and Kim made the bold decision to get out of his comfort z

Sept. 25, 2017

Australia's opposition leader reaffirms bipartisan support for S. Korea amid NK tensions

Australia's opposition Labor Party leader Bill Shorten expressed bipartisan support for South Korea's efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula when he met Monday with Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, Lee's office said.Shorten and the party's foreign affairs spokeswoman, Penny Wong, arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a three-day visit aimed at reassuring South Korea that Australia stands by the country as tensions with North Korea have escalated sharply in the wake of a series of provocations by Pyo

Sept. 25, 2017

France's ambassador reaffirms participation in PyeongChang Olympics: opposition leader

France's ambassador to Seoul on Monday reaffirmed his country's plan to participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics despite security concerns caused by North Korea's continued provocations, a South Korean opposition leader said.Ambassador Fabien Penone reiterated his government's decision during his talks with Hong Joon-pyo, the leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, after news reports said Paris was considering skipping the event due to rising tensions on the Korean Peninsul

Sept. 25, 2017

UN chief calls for diplomatic solution in meeting with N. Korean top diplomat

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the North Korean top diplomat to diplomatically resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula during their meeting in New York, the North's state-run news agency said Sunday.The UN chief held a 30-minute meeting with Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho following the minister's key-note address at the UN General Assembly on Saturday (US time) as Guterres customarily has done with other foreign ministers attending the UN meeting.Minister Ri reasse

Sept. 24, 2017

PyeongChang Games may help mend soured Sino-Korean ties: experts

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics may serve as an opportunity for South Korea and China to restore their relationships strained by the deployment of a US missile shield here, watchers said Sunday.The Winter Games will be held in the alpine county of PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, from Feb. 9 to 25 with about 6,500 athletes and officials from 95 countries attending. It will be the first Olympics in South Korea since the 1988 Seoul Summer Games.In mid-March, China banned the sa

Sept. 24, 2017

S. Korean president invites N. Korea, world to PyeongChang Olympics in New York gala

NEW YORK -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in put on his second hat Wednesday, inviting the world to the Winter Olympic Games to be held in his country early next year.The honorary ambassador of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games also extended an invitation to North Korea, saying its participation will highlight the possibility of peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula."Tensions are high now, but that is only the reason why we more need peace," the South Korean leader said in a

Sept. 21, 2017

Korea to provide humanitarian aid for Myanmar refugees

South Korea will extend $1.5 million worth of humanitarian assistance for refugees from Myanmar after an outbreak of violence last month caused an exodus into neighboring Bangladesh, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.The insurgent attacks against the Myanmarese police and military forces in the state of Rakhine on Aug. 25 caused a massive number of residents to flee to Bangladesh, mostly of them Rohingya, a Muslim minority group in Myanmar where the majority of the population is Buddhist.As of

Sept. 20, 2017

Mexico, Korea bolster commerce, security ties

The Mexican Embassy in Seoul marked its 207th anniversary of independence Friday, also celebrating thriving ties with Korea in commerce, security and everything in between over the last six decades.“Both countries celebrate 55 years of bilateral relations this year, and we have always stayed close in a changing and challenging world,” Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa said in a speech at Millennium Seoul Hilton. “Our political dialogue continues fruitfully, and we work closely through M

Sept. 18, 2017

‘ASEAN Culture House conduit of knowledge, understanding’

With the launch of the ASEAN Culture House in Busan on Sept. 1, the public gains a valuable platform through which to peer into the thriving lives of Southeast Asians, said the president of Korea Foundation, urging Korea’s genuine interest in the region’s myriad local cultures. “To maintain a sustainable partnership with ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), we should bear in mind that it takes two to tango. The ASEAN Culture House was established to correct any imbalance in our ex

Sept. 18, 2017

‘Costa Rica thrives on peace, cooperation with East Asia’

Across serene and pacific Costa Rica, the military has long been a thing of a bygone era. The Central American country renounced its military in 1949, and has since spearheaded a path of peace and development in a region perennially engrossed in conflict and violence. According to Costa Rican Ambassador to Korea Rodolfo Solano Quiros, the pursuit of pacifism and dialogue as a national strategy has enabled channeling resources to education, health care and the environment instead, tangibly improv

Sept. 18, 2017

Korea accelerating public diplomacy for 2018 PyeongChang Olympics

With the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics less than five months away, South Korea is accelerating its public diplomacy to promote the South Korea-hosted international sports event where the cultural allure of Korea could be illuminated globally.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently named Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to head its special team tasked with supporting hosting of the Winter Olympics and the following Paralympic Winter Games scheduled from February to March in the alpine city.

Sept. 18, 2017

Leaders of Korea, US, Japan to hold trilateral summit next week

The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a trilateral summit next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Saturday.A senior Cheong Wa Dae official said that President Moon Jae-in and his US and Japanese counterparts, Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe, respectively, will hold a luncheon meeting on Thursday (Eastern Standard Time).(Yonhap)North Korea's continued provocations are expected to top the agenda for t

Sept. 17, 2017

Daejeon mayor vows closer cooperation with Asia-Pacific cities

Daejeon Mayor Kwon Sun-taik said Thursday his city will enhance cooperation with major cities in the Asia-Pacific region to promote development in the region.Kwon made the remarks in a speech at the closing ceremony of the four-day 2017 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors' Forum at the Daejeon Convention Center here. Daejeon is the host city of the event."The city of Daejeon will bear the pride and sense of duty as the host city of the 2017 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors' Forum, and act

Sept. 14, 2017

PM meets with Finnish parliamentary speaker

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon met with Finland's Parliamentary Speaker Maria Lohela on Wednesday and discussed bolstering cooperation, including tackling the low birth rate problem that is facing the two countries, his office said.Lee expressed hope that the two countries will expand mutually beneficial cooperation in economy, defense and education. Lohela said her visit included events promoting cooperation in business, tourism and health care, and she will continue efforts to expand the cooperati

Sept. 13, 2017

PM meets with Bahrain's parliamentary speaker

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon met with the chief of Bahrain's lower house of parliament Tuesday and discussed ways to bolster cooperation and exchanges between the two countries, his office said.Bahrain's Council of Representatives Speaker Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al Mulla has been on a weeklong visit to South Korea since Sunday at the invitation of National Assembly Speaker Chung Se-kyun. During the meeting, Lee expressed the hope that South Korean firms would continue to take part in infrastructure proj

Sept. 12, 2017

‘Sudan welcomes investments, technology transfers amid easing sanctions’

Anticipating the lifting of US sanctions in the near future, Sudan is ready to reinvigorate its global engagement and draw industrial expertise, technology transfers and agricultural investment from Korea, the country’s No. 2 diplomat has said. In an exclusive interview with The Korea Herald, Hamid Mohamed E. Momtaz, state minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the comprehensive embargo imposed on Khartoum since 1997 is likely to be abrogated by October. In January, Washington partial

Sept. 11, 2017

Doldamgil returns to public from UK Embassy

The British Embassy in Seoul returned the Doldamgil Road to the public on Aug. 30, which had been occupied by the diplomatic mission for over 130 years. The 100-meter stretch of land at the back of the embassy did not formally belong to the British mission, but was incorporated into the compound since the 1960s. The issue was put under the spotlight in 2010, and raised with the embassy, leading to a memorandum of understanding between the embassy and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. “Whether r

Sept. 11, 2017

Kazakhstan, a land of smiles, cries and dreams

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- Hurriedly taking turns with his wife to feed their hyperactive 1-year-old son, Alexander Lee seemed restless, yet happy to be consumed by his family. I met Lee, a reporter at Kazakh TV of Korean ethnicity, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s summit in Astana in June, when I covered several key events at the time as a journalist. When I came back to Astana for a second time in late August, he was one of the first people I got in touch with. “I moved here in 2011 after

Sept. 11, 2017

Korea to host general meeting of UN body on climate change next year

South Korea has been selected to host the general meeting of a United Nations-affiliated body on climate change next year, the government said Monday. The 48th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will be held in the port city of Incheon, west of Seoul, in October 2018, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.  The photo, filed on Oct. 14, 2010, captures a media session during the general meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change held in Busan,

Sept. 11, 2017