Nelson Mandela Day in Korea

The South African Embassy celebrated Nelson Mandela Day on Monday, with officials from the embassy and the South African Chamber of Commerce volunteering at the Boys Town, a welfare center for children in Mapo-gu, Seoul. 　 The embassy called upon everyone around the world to designate 67 minutes to make a difference in the lives of others, in honor of the 67 years Mandela fought for human rights and the abolition of apartheid. “It is an annual celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life

July 19, 2022

UN General Assembly OKs Uzbekistan-initiated Central South Asia connectivity resolution

The UN General Assembly unanimously approved a special resolution to strengthen connectivity between Central and South Asia on July 11, the Uzbekistan Embassy said in a press statement. The resolution was adopted with the co-authorship of 40 countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Angola, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Ghana, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ivory Coast, China, Qatar, Egypt, Iran, Nepal, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Senegal, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka, and the Philip

July 19, 2022

Top diplomats of S. Korea, Vietnam discuss strengthening bilateral ties

  The top diplomats of South Korea and Vietnam on Wednesday discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties, Seoul's foreign ministry said. In a phone call with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son, Park Jin said that he would work towards strengthening cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation, calling it a core cooperative country in Seoul's policy regarding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to the ministry. He expressed hopes for the two to actively pursue trade a

July 13, 2022

Wine connects Georgia and Korea

Wine connects Georgia and Korea, and connecting the two countries with completely different cultures is the goal of Georgia‘s National Wine Agency, says the agency’s Deputy Chairman Davit Tkemaladze. Tkemaladze visited Seoul to support his country’s wine producers in exploring the Korean market and presenting Georgian wine to Korean consumers. “Wine connects Georgia and Korea,” he said, drawing a comparison to the historical legacy of Georgia’s unique winema

July 12, 2022

Indonesia wants to act as peace bridge between Russia, Ukraine

Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto highlighted the role of Indonesia in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine on Monday. Citing Indonesia’s commitment to world peace as stated in its constitution and the interest of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is also the current chair of the Group of 20, in building a peace bridge between Russia and Ukraine, Sulistiyanto underlined the mission as a breakthrough initiative for Indonesia. President Widodo‘s delegation visi

July 11, 2022

Decoupling from China means decoupling future opportunities, says Chinese ambassador

“Why does Korea need to ‘decouple’ from vibrant China? Decoupling from China is decoupling from future opportunities” Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Hai Ming told The Korea Herald at the Global Business Forum on Wednesday in Seoul. “We must work together to find a solution with an open mind and a whole heart, while respecting and understanding each other,” said Xing, adding that China-Korea relations face external hindrances. According to Xing, the US is a

July 11, 2022

Peruvian Embassy hosts kick off reception

The Peruvian embassy hosted the kick off reception of the COVID-19 Testing and Laboratory Capacity Building project at the Peruvian Ambassador’s residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on July 2. The project is linked to innovative and strategic approaches of the World Health Organization (WHO) to prepare and develop the capacity of low- and middle-income countries and increase technical knowledge for the production of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals to respond to COVID-19 effectively. The ev

July 11, 2022

France-Korea critical value chains, road to resilience and prosperity: ambassador

France and Korea should secure critical supply chains between the two nations to reduce overreliance on third countries, French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lefort said at The Korea Herald’s Global Business Forum on June 29 in Seoul. “Increasing France-Korea ties in critical value chains can bring about more resilience and prosperity to both France and Korea,” Lefort said, adding that by producing in France, Korean companies can guarantee access to the full European market, di

July 5, 2022

El Salvador urges Korea to participate in infrastructure projects

El Salvador wants to build strategic alliances and cooperate with Korea on road infrastructure, urban mobility, new technologies and energy, the country’s Public Works and Transportation Minister Edgar Romeo Rodriguez Herrera told The Korea Herald in a recent interview. Rodriguez emphasized the need to collaborate with strong allies experienced in economic growth and social development and cited South Korea as a model for expanding national infrastructure and comprehensive developmen

July 5, 2022

Exhibition marks 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan-Korea relations

The Kazakhstan Embassy opened an exhibition to honor the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan-Korea diplomatic relations in Seoul on Thursday. Co-hosted by the Kazakhstan Embassy and Korean Foundation, the exhibition titled “Land of Hope” showcases the history of Koreans in Kazakhstan, dating to 1937 when large numbers of the Korean diaspora in the Soviet Union’s Far East were deported to Central Asia.　 The exhibition presents more than 100 different exhibits, including basic neces

July 4, 2022

Belarus marks National Day

The Belarusian Embassy celebrated National Day and the 30th anniversary of Belarus-Korea diplomatic relations on Thursday at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul. Delivering welcome remarks at the ceremony, Belarusian Ambassador to South Korea Andrew Chernetsky recalled his country’s liberation from Nazi invaders on July 3, 1944. “In that terrible war, every third inhabitant of Belarus died,” he said, adding that war memories continue to live in generations of Belarusian people. Chernet

July 4, 2022

Uzbekistan to process constitutional reform

Uzbekistan is preparing to process constitutional reform seeing important political realities and needs of Uzbek citizens, the Uzbek Embassy in Seoul said in a press statement Friday. According to the statement, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting with members of the constitutional commission on June 20, recognizing the need to create a solid legal basis for reliable long-term development strategies for Uzbekistan to achieve people-centric future prosperity through constituti

June 28, 2022

Localizing high-value-added products of Uzbekistan, mutually beneficial for exports to Korea: deputy minister

The localization of high-value-added products by Korean companies in Uzbekistan would be a good basis for mutually beneficial cooperation, Laziz Kudratov, Uzbekistan’s first deputy minister of investments and foreign trade, said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Kudratov said that Korea and Uzbekistan shared a reliable and time-tested relationship with a special strategic partnership stressing Uzbekistan-Korea cooperation had reached a new level. Uzbekistan-Korea trade turnover almo

June 27, 2022

Chilean embassy highlights Chile’s business, investment environment

  Chile is a Latin American hub that serves as a regional platform with global access and more free trade and tax agreements than any other country, Chile Investment (InvestChile) Commissioner for Asia Vicente Pinto said during the second edition of the Global Biz Forum held in Seoul on June 15. InvestChile is a decentralized agency under the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism in Chile. Explaining key businesses, investment opportunities in Chile and collaborative sectors,

June 21, 2022

Guatemala inclusion to FTA vital to strengthen relations: ambassador

The inclusion of Guatemala in a free trade agreement between Korea and other Central American nations cannot be delayed so as to strengthen bilateral relations, Guatemala Ambassador to Korea Marco Tulio Chicas Sosa said in an email interview with The Korea Herald Friday. Work is underway to include Guatemala in the trade pact with five Central American nations -- Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama – that was fully implemented last year. “Such instrument would

June 14, 2022

‘Right time to revitalize Iran-Korea economic, cultural ties’

Iran and South Korea should revitalize economic and cultural relations and prepare for strengthening future bilateral cooperation, Iranian Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari and The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young said during a meeting on June 8. Links between the two countries go back 1,000 years to the time of Persia and Silla, the ancient kingdoms of Iran and South Korea, respectively. The long-standing relationship is symbolized in the street names of Teheran-ro in Seoul and Seoul Street

June 14, 2022

EU, Korea stand strong, united to face threats: EU ambassador

The European Union and Korea stand united in the face of threats amid the Russia-Ukraine war, EU Ambassador Maria Castillo Fernandez said at The Korea Herald’s Global Business Forum on June 8 in Seoul. Castillo Fernandez called the war a “blatant” violation of international law by Russia and a challenge to the international rules-based order, sovereignty and territorial integrity. “EU and Korea are firmly on the same page addressing Russia’s aggression and the im

June 14, 2022

Indonesia-Korea Business forum strives to boost new sectors

The Indonesian Embassy hosted the Indonesia-Korea Business Forum at Lotte Hotel on Friday to discuss key business opportunities for investors. Indonesian Ambassador Gandi Sulistiyanto Soeherman called for improved cooperation with Korea, Indonesia’s seventh-biggest export partner and sixth-biggest import partner. Economic links could be improved by removing economic and trade bottlenecks, particularly in energy transition, the digital economy, health and global supply chains, he said.

June 13, 2022

S. Korea to actively consider economic support for Ukraine

  South Korea will actively consider joining a global move to support the war-torn Ukraine by participating in multilateral development banks, a Seoul senior official has said. During the annual meeting of the OECD Council at the Ministerial Level, which ran in Paris from Thursday to Friday, First Vice Finance Minister Bang Ki-sun said the South Korean government will look at the option of using low-rate loans for infrastructure development in Ukraine, if needed, according to the financ

June 11, 2022

[From the Scene] Kazakhs vote for constitutional reform, hopes high for ‘New Kazakhstan’

By Sanjay Kumar Korea Herald correspondent NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan — Kazakh citizens on Sunday gave overwhelming support to proposed constitutional democratic reforms, with nearly 80 percent voting for change in the referendum. The Central Election Committee said Monday that 77.18 percent of ballots cast were in favor of the amendments aimed at shifting from former strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev’s “super-presidential” rule to a presidential republic, decentralization of

June 8, 2022