Moving past three decades of civil war, Sri Lanka is transforming itself into a vibrant commercial hub in South Asia, and reengaging the international community and furthering bilateral ties are key, the nation’s top envoy said.“As Korea has made miraculous progress in democracy and economy in such a short period of time, it is an exemplary model for Sri Lanka, which is starting its journey toward economic prosperity,” said Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera in an interview with The Korea Hera

March 14, 2016

Malaysia is aiming to become a regional leader in health care as it pushes its industrial economy toward a knowledge-based one. Under the 11th Malaysia Plan for national development (2016-20), the medical device industry was identified as key to rapid growth alongside the aerospace, chemical, electronics and machinery sectors. Due to its strong links to manufacturing and capacities to deliver high-value-added goods, the industry is poised to lead Malaysia’s economy, which has grown at around 5 p

March 14, 2016

The Indonesian Embassy held a seminar in early March to woo Korean investments into the country’s burgeoning economy, which has seen sweeping reforms in recent months.Under the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Indonesia has undertaken a series of stimulus measures, aimed at boosting industrial competitiveness through deregulation, facilitating infrastructure projects and strengthening law enforcement.The government recently overhauled its “negative investment list” -- a catalog

March 14, 2016

A delegation of Ethiopian environment officials came to Korea in early March to share knowledge and experience in forest management and sustainable development. Shiferaw Teklemariam, Ethiopian minister of environment, forest and climate change, told The Korea Herald that his team was interested in Korea’s policies, institutions and governance, and how they were practically implemented.Amid Ethiopia’s push to become an industrializing nation, forestry is one of the four pillars of development und

March 13, 2016

Australian and South Korean artists were recognized Feb. 16 at the opening of the inaugural “Cultural Conversations Project” exhibition. Hosted by Gallery LVS, the opening welcomed the works of 14 artists across Australia and South Korea, with artists Yoon Jin-sup, Yun Suk-nam, Kim Ku-lim and Lee Kun-yong in attendance.The project, conducted by the Australian Centre for Oral History, is an ongoing history archive, giving insight into the lives and works of contemporary Australian and Korean arti

March 8, 2016

EDUCATION COLLABORATION -- Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Marmazov (right) and Korean Deputy Prime Minister Lee Joon-sik held talks on Feb. 19 on facilitating educational cooperation between Ukraine and Korea, with plans to sign memorandums of understanding between their education ministries. Marmazov noted contributions by the Ukrainian studies department of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, where some 80 students are enrolled, while Lee acknowledged Ukraine’s visa liberalization as sm

March 6, 2016

The ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul published a book in late February to introduce the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to Korea and highlight the region’s integrative achievements. The book, titled “ASEAN Community, at the Heart of Asia,” was written by Korea’s leading experts on Southeast Asia and summarizes progress made since the association’s establishment in 1967 to its launch of a community at the end of last year.Under the banner “One vision, one identity and one community,” the new bo

March 6, 2016

The Bulgarian embassy last week marked the country’s Liberation Day amid deepening ties with Korea that reached a “comprehensive and future-oriented partnership” last year. The holiday celebrates the national independence of 1878 from the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Bulgaria for over 500 years. The new alliance, announced in a joint presidential declaration during the state visit of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev to Seoul last May, covers comprehensive areas including political dialogue, t

March 6, 2016

The Dominican Republic, an island nation in the heart of the Caribbean, celebrated its 172nd anniversary of national independence from Haiti and burgeoning ties with Korea at a reception in late February. At Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Feb. 26, Dominican Ambassador Grecia Fiordalicia Pichardo highlighted that her country has achieved political and social stability over the years, as well as 7 percent economic growth last year. “The key to our sustained economic growth lies in our administration’s pr

March 6, 2016

The Nepalese embassy last week held a seminar to inform the public on the post-earthquake situation and investment potentials in water resources in Nepal. Nepal, a landlocked country between China and India on the Himalayan Mountains, has sizeable water resources. It has the third largest ice deposits and the second largest inland water deposits in the world. Nepal drains billions of cubic meters of fresh water annually from its more than 6,000 rivers and rivulets, which travel downstream to cou

March 6, 2016

French Minister of Urban Affairs, Youth and Sport Patrick Kanner, visited Seoul in mid-February to bolster cooperation for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in Korea. Kanner, who was accompanied by a delegation of French companies -- Poma, GL Events, Compagnie des Alpes, Cluster Montagne, Fusalp -- met Korean athletes and sports institutions in tennis, taekwondo and mountain climbing during a reception at the French Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 19.France has hosted the Winter Olympic Games i

Feb. 28, 2016

Amid mounting international sanctions and slowing Chinese growth, North Korea’s economy will tread a tough road this year and beyond, experts noted in early February. North Korea, where markets have largely supplanted the planned economy, has relied extensively on exporting coal and iron to China and extracting earnings from laborers abroad. Since its golden days of the early 1970s, when the country’s gross domestic product per capita was around $3,000, the communist state’s allocative economy h

Feb. 28, 2016

The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Kuwait. – Ed. Modern KuwaitAs the bitterly cold winter nears its end to give way to the warm spring bloom, the people of the State of Kuwait work busily with excitement in preparation for the nation’s joyous 55th National Day on Feb. 25 and the 25th anniversary of Liberation Day the following day, Feb. 26.It is my great pleasure and honor to extend warmest greetings to the people and the government of the Republic of Korea. I am most gratef

Feb. 24, 2016

Korean Admiral Jung Ho-sub was conferred Indonesia’s highest naval award, Bintang Jalasena Utama, in a ceremony at the embassy in Seoul last week. In the presence of diplomatic and naval officers of both countries, Indonesian Ambassador John Prasetio honored the Korean chief of naval operations for his contributions to enhancing bilateral naval ties through capacity building, technical training and arms procurement. Some of Jung’s achievements include facilitating naval academy exchange between

Feb. 22, 2016

The Iranian Embassy last week celebrated the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution as well as the recent resolution of the country’s nuclear agreement, opening the doors for cooperation with Korea. In 1979, Iranians led a series of demonstrations to unseat the dictatorial Pahlavi dynasty and established an Islamic Republic based on a modern culture and religious democracy, said Iranian Ambassador to Korea Hassan Taherian at a reception in Seoul. Particularly this year, he added, the anniver

Feb. 22, 2016

Jean-Yves Yunet, a French journalist who witnessed the massacre that occurred on the night of Feb. 25, 1992, in the town of Khojaly in Azerbaijan, later said: “I heard a lot about wars, the cruelty of Nazis, but Armenians went beyond them, killing 5- or 6-year-old children, innocent people. We saw a lot of injured people in hospitals, carriages, even in kindergartens and school buildings.”In the course of a war waged by Armenia against Azerbaijan that started in 1988, Armenian armed forces, enli

Feb. 22, 2016