Moon taps parliamentary secretary-general as new ambassador to Russia

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday tapped the chief of the parliamentary secretariat as his new top envoy to Russia, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.Woo Yoon-keun, secretary-general of the National Assembly, has been tapped as South Korea's new ambassador to Russia.The lawyer-turned-politician has been serving in the parliamentary post since last year. Secretary-general of the National Assembly Woo Yoon-keun (Yonhap)The former lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party has a d

Sept. 5, 2017

Indonesian architects blueprint models of attractive future

Inside the roughly gentrified studio Haenghwatang in northern Seoul, another attempt at innovative engineering is taking place, this time unveiling lush, local imaginations of Indonesian architects before the public eye.As a collateral event to the International Union of Architects World Congress in Seoul under the theme of “soul of the city,” works of more than 53 Indonesian architects that came to Korea are being showcased through Sept. 10.According to architects and event curators Danny Wicak

Sept. 4, 2017

Latin American films come to town

The Latin American embassies, in collaboration with the Korea Film Archive, will organize a film festival in Seoul from Tuesday to Sunday, introducing their rich and diverse cultures and lifestyles through critically acclaimed films. The event will feature a variety of genres, encompassing drama, comedy, adventure, romance, thriller, biography and science fiction. Thirteen movies from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Ve

Sept. 4, 2017

‘Turkey, lasting bulwark against global terrorism, extremism’

Amid celebrations of 60 years of official diplomacy with Korea, the Turkish Embassy on Wednesday observed its national holiday -- Victory Day -- and paid tribute to the triumph against occupying Greek forces in the Battle of Dumlupinar on Aug. 30, 1922, which helped create a modern, republican nation state. During a reception in Seoul, Turkish Ambassador to Korea Arslan Hakan Okcal also noted the thriving strategic partnership since 2012 between Ankara and Seoul, as the two nations have bolstere

Sept. 4, 2017

‘ASEAN, Korea pave way for prosperous, secure future’

Building on the last 50 years of fruitful cooperation and integration, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is forging ahead with pragmatic plans to secure a future of common prosperity and security, the regional bloc’s top diplomats said last week, urging South Korea’s continuing engagement as an indispensable strategic partner. This year marks the golden jubilee of ASEAN, a group of 10 nations that have moved beyond their ideological, political, cultural, ethnic and linguistic difference

Sept. 4, 2017

Korea, 5 Mekong nations agree to widen cooperation

BUSAN -- South Korea and five Southeast Asian countries surrounding the Mekong River agreed on Friday to strengthen diplomatic and economic cooperation during an annual high-level meeting in the southern port city of Busan.The 7th Mekong-Republic of Korea Foreign Ministers' Meeting adopted a second action plan outlining the long-term vision and priority projects for their cooperation until 2020.The conference was attended by the top diplomats of South Korea, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and

Sept. 1, 2017

Korean leader vows increased cooperation, exchanges with Latin American countries

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday vowed to greatly enhance his country's cooperation and exchanges with Latin American countries, stressing the need for the countries to work together to address various regional and global issues, such as climate change and the fourth-industrial revolution."I believe the relationship between Asia and Latin America is very important. The South Korean government will further strengthen its efforts to spearhead peace and prosperity of Asia in the futur

Aug. 31, 2017

Moon names new ambassadors to US, China and Japan

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has tapped new chiefs of missions to the United States, Japan and China, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, the world's most powerful countries that are also considered Seoul's key partners in efforts to rein in North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile technologies.The president named Cho Yoon-je the country's new ambassador to Washington, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun.Cho, 64, served as a key adviser on Moon's election

Aug. 30, 2017

Students eye Indonesia as new career horizon

Piqued by growing educational and employment opportunities in Southeast Asia, a select group of Korean students will study across Indonesian universities for a year starting from the fall semester through the Darmasiswa scholarship program.The one-year scholarship is organized by Indonesia’s Ministry of National Education in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs, and offered to foreign students from countries with diplomatic ties to Indonesia. Students learn about the Southeast Asia

Aug. 28, 2017

Turkish celebrations to mark blooming ties with Korea

Marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Korea, the Turkish Embassy in collaboration with the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism will organize a series of cultural events this week ranging from music and dance to food and a reception. This year has also been marked the year of Turkey-Korea cultural relations, whose ties stretch back over 1,500 years.The first event at the National Theatre of Korea’s Daloreum Theater in Seoul at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday will featur

Aug. 28, 2017

[Herald Interview] Planning for smart, sustainable future with Singapore

As a small city-state at the foot of peninsular Malaysia, Singapore has blazed a trail through the rough currents of international politics and business over the 52 years since its independence, which it marked on its National Day, Aug. 9. Dubbed the “Lion City,” “Garden City” or “Little Red Dot,” the cosmopolitan metropolis of 5.6 million people has a gross domestic product of $311 billion, or $55,000 per capita, making it the richest Asian country on an individual basis. As the Association of

Aug. 28, 2017

Leaders of Korea, China exchange congratulatory messages to mark 25th anniv. of diplomatic relations

Leaders of South Korea and China exchanged congratulatory messages Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of normalizing diplomatic ties between the two countries, the foreign ministry said. In the message, President Moon Jae-in assessed that their bilateral relations have seen significant advance and expressed hopes that the Seoul-Beijing ties that he cherishes will further develop into a "substantial" strategic cooperative one, according to the ministry.Chinese President Xi Jinping also said he

Aug. 24, 2017

'UK-Korea commerce expedient, bespoke after Brexit'

Mark Garnier, parliamentary undersecretary of state at the Department for International Trade (Joel Lee/The Korea Herald)After the United Kingdom formally exits the European Union, the commercial relationship between the UK and Korea will be nimbler and tailored to their particular needs and demands, according to a British politician tasked with international trade and investment. As opposed to being constrained by slow and cumbersome stipulations of the 28-member EU, the UK economy -- the world

Aug. 21, 2017

‘Singapore, Korea pacesetters in low-growth era’

As a small city-state at the foot of peninsular Malaysia, Singapore has blazed a trail through the rough currents of international politics and business over the 52 years since its independence, which it marked on its National Day on Aug. 9. Dubbed the “Lion City,” “Garden City” or “Little Red Dot,” the cosmopolitan metropolis of 5.6 million people has a gross domestic product of $311 billion, or $55,000 per capita, making it the richest Asian country. As the Association of Southeast Asian Natio

Aug. 21, 2017

S. Korea, China hold annual public diplomacy forum amid THAAD row

South Korea and China held a joint forum on public diplomacy Thursday aimed at expanding exchanges between their people amid recently strained ties over Seoul's move to install a US missile defense system on its soil. The forum deemed to be a "1.5 track" event was held on this southern resort island, led by South Korea's public diplomacy envoy Park Enna and former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing.Private-sector experts from diverse areas also attended the gathering.It has been held annually

Aug. 17, 2017

Ecuadorian artist distills mystic beauty of homeland

Born on the outskirts of Quito, Ecuadorian artist Miguel Betancourt grew up seeing clear blue sky, colorful vegetation and trees and the spirited people of the Andean mountains. Over the next several decades, the powerful images imbued in his early consciousness would set him on a mission to distill the mystic beauty of Ecuador, a melting pot of antiquity and ecology at the northwestern edge of South America. From the untamed tropical jungle to timeworn colonial architecture, Betancourt has tapp

Aug. 15, 2017

‘Georgia seeks peaceful resolution of occupied territories’

Similar to Koreans living near the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean Peninsula, Georgians know what it feels like to dwell precariously at the edge of fortified borders. But unlike here, where the off-limit zone has remained fixed over the last seven decades, Georgia’s territorial sovereignty encompassing what they see as occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is increasingly encroached upon and threatened by razor and barbed wire fences erected by Russian soldiers.According to Geor

Aug. 15, 2017

US congratulates S. Korea on Liberation Day

The United States congratulated South Korea Monday ahead of an anniversary of the Asian ally's independence from Japanese colonial rule.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a congratulatory message to mark Liberation Day, Aug. 15, the day Korea won independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonization."We reaffirm the ironclad alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea and honor our strong and historic people-to-people ties," he said. "This holiday also marks the bond our nations s

Aug. 15, 2017

Canadian special envoy visits N. Korea

A special envoy of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in North Korea on Tuesday, the North's state-run news agency said.Daniel Jean, national security advisor to the prime minister of Canada, and his party arrived in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency said, without elaborating further. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Yonhap)The visit drew speculation that the envoy was to discuss the issue of Korean-Canadian pastor Lim Hyeon-soo detained in the reclusive regime.Lim has

Aug. 9, 2017

Trump warns N. Korea will be met with fire and fury

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that North Korea will be met with "fire and fury" if it continues to threaten his country, issuing a strong rebuke against a country that has reportedly succeeded in miniaturizing nuclear weapons."North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen," Trump told reporters at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to a pool report.(Yonhap)The warning c

Aug. 9, 2017