International sanctions against North Korea for eliminating its nuclear and missile programs should not be an end in itself, but the means to force the regime to comply with the global nonproliferation regime, said a senior European Union official during an official visit to Korea last week.Helga Schmid, secretary general of the EU’s External Action Service, said the EU lends full support for the “peaceful, negotiated solution” of Pyongyang’s denuclearization, aimed at providing lasting security

Diplomatic Circuit April 2, 2018

The British Embassy in Seoul, together with British citizens in Korea, participated in a sporting event Saturday to raise money for charity. The United Kingdom’s diplomatic missions around the world and the public take part in the Sport Relief event biannually for charities of various purposes. This year, as part of the campaign, the local embassy staff and North Korea defectors played a friendly soccer match at Seoul Foreign School with the money raised going to the Eugene Bell Foundation -- a

Diplomatic Circuit March 27, 2018

Over the last week, Pradeep Taneja, who lectures on international relations at the University of Melbourne in Australia, toured Korea and witnessed its sound economy and tense security. Taneja, along with 10 scholars and researchers from Australia, visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Unification, National Assembly, National Diplomatic Academy, Australian Embassy and Asan Institute for Policy Studies, among other destinations, in a program jointly organized by the Korea Founda

Diplomatic Circuit March 27, 2018

Costa Rican coffee has secured a stronger position in the Korean market, where coffee consumption is steadily growing, according to the Costa Rican Embassy in Seoul. Various types of Costa Rican coffee will be showcased at the Coffee Expo Seoul at Coex from Apr. 5-8.Costa Rica is the host country of the global event, with several of its coffee producers and exporters participating and presenting their sustainable production methods. They will also hold coffee-making sessions and expand their net

Diplomatic Circuit March 27, 2018

Before starting his tenure here in early March, British Ambassador Simon Smith spent six months last year learning the Korean language in Seoul. “I’ve had a lot of experience learning different languages over the last 33 years as a diplomat, and Korean was the most difficult,” he told journalists at the British Embassy in Seoul last week, adding he aims to improve his Korean to deepen his understanding of the country. “I also want to be able to read major works of Korean literature and travel an

Diplomatic Circuit March 27, 2018

The World Wide Fund for Nature, an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to conservation activities, is set to hold its annual Earth Hour event in Seoul on Saturday evening to spread awareness of global warming.Held collectively in major cities around the globe, Earth Hour is a worldwide event during which participants turn off the lights for an hour starting at 8:30 p.m. The event in Seoul is to be held at Cheonggye Plaza starting at 5 p.m. Saturday under the theme “Candle Night,

People March 23, 2018

Since successfully completing several joint infrastructure construction projects in Turkey -- including the Eurasian Tunnel, an underground tunnel bridging Europe and Asia beneath the Bosporus Strait, and Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, one that carries rail and motor vehicles above the strait -- Turkish and Korean companies have gone beyond Turkey to win bids in third markets. One of them is a consortium consisting of Korea Highway Corp., SK Engineering and Construction and Turkish companies Alarko

Diplomatic Circuit March 19, 2018

When South Korean National Assembly Speaker Chung Se-kyun arrived at the Koryo Theater in Almaty, Kazakhstan on March 11, he was met by a warm reception from ethnic Koreans in Central Asia, known as “Koryo saram,” or “Koryoin.” “It still pains me to think about the plight of our ancestors, who were jettisoned like baggage here in Kazakhstan after they were forcibly transported on cargo trains some 80 years ago,” the politician said, referring to their mass relocation from Russia’s Far East in 19

Social Affairs March 19, 2018

The Bulgarian Embassy held a photo exhibition last week that highlighted the country’s UNESCO treasures. The event, which ran from Monday to Sunday at Gangnam Tourist Information Center, featured 17 large-scale photographs by Bulgarian photographer Alexander Nishkov, showing Bulgaria’s seven historical sites and two natural heritage sites on the list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. “The strategic position of Bulgaria as a land at a crossroads between Euro

Diplomatic Circuit March 19, 2018

Eoghan Murphy, Irish minister for housing, planning and local government, visited Korea last week to promote Ireland as an attractive investment destination and important trade partner, coinciding with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.“My government is committed to building a stronger and more vibrant relationship with the Asian region and Korea is a key partner for us,” he said at a reception in Seoul on March 13, in front of some 200 guests.“Our trade in both directions is growing rapidly with t

Diplomatic Circuit March 19, 2018

For Zambian Ambassador to Korea Wylbur Simuusa, rectifying the mismatch between Zambia’s solid position in Africa and its obscure presence in Korea is one of his most urgent tasks. Zambia is known in Africa as a nation of peace and stability, an honest broker that has mediated numerous peace agreements and helped neighboring countries gain independence, he told The Korea Herald. It has also sheltered countless freedom fighters and refugees from bordering countries, while having no major internal

Diplomatic Circuit March 12, 2018

The Bulgarian Embassy celebrated last week the presidency of the Council of the European Union this year, as well as its 140th anniversary of national independence from the Ottoman Empire on March 3, 1878.“In March 2018, exactly 140 years after the restoration of our statehood, the Republic of Bulgaria is holding the presidency of the Council of the EU until June 30, the first time since our EU accession in 2007,” said Bulgarian Ambassador Petar Andonov in a speech at a reception in Seoul on Mar

Diplomatic Circuit March 12, 2018

Georgia expresses its deep sorrow over the death of its citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the region of Tskhinvali, also known as South Ossetia, who was killed while under detention by occupying Russian forces on Feb. 22, said the Georgian Embassy in Seoul. The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned those responsible for his death and urged Russia to return his body for a medical examination and burial, it added. Two more Georgian citizens had previously been detained in the region, on

Diplomatic Circuit March 12, 2018

Amid growing speculations about North Korea’s possible denuclearization, a report published by a North Korean academic journal shows North Korea advancing its argument that it has created propitious conditions for economic development on the back of nuclear statehood.“Our party’s ‘Byeongjin Line’ policy is the most righteous path for our nation. It enables us to guard our revolutionary core interests and realize radiantly the achievements of architecting a powerful socialist nation,” read a pape

North Korea March 11, 2018