Australia and Korea are natural partners in an emerging multipolar world, harnessing their shared commitment to liberal democracy, complementary economies, common strategic interests and an openness to international engagement, says Australian Ambassador to Korea James Choi. Australia will strengthen its partnership with Korea, a country of “first order importance to Australia” as outlined in its recent Foreign Policy White Paper, he emphasized at a reception marking Australia Day in Seoul on Fr

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 29, 2018

Coming from the tropical Philippines, Korea was a wintry wonderland for Jane Galvez, who has visited the country four times since 2012. Galvez journeyed across Korea in search of off-the-beaten path locations and arty spots where movies and TV dramas had been filmed. With her sister Ellaine, Jane visited Busan, Seoul and Incheon over seven days in April last year. “South Korea will always be my favorite place to visit,” Galvez told The Korea Herald. “I can never get enough of it. It has changed

Travel Jan. 26, 2018

Secretary General of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Lee Hwi-jae (ICCK)The Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea has announced the appointment of its new secretary general, Lee Hwi-jae.Lee, former vice president of Green Motors Co. in New Zealand and managing director of international relations at Korea Importers Association, succeeded Yoon Sock-joong, who served the institution for the past year and half, on Dec. 1 last year. “I am very pleased to become the secretary general of ICCK. I

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 24, 2018

South Korea’s unification minister said Monday that it will be a “good opportunity” for the two Koreas to discuss peace and inter-Korean relations when the North‘s high-level delegation makes a trip here to join next month’s PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. “Through meetings and contacts with the North‘s high-level delegation ... we expect it will serve as a good opportunity to have frank discussion about improving inter-Korean relations and peace,” Cho Myoung-gyon said in an interview with a l

North Korea Jan. 22, 2018

Joachim Son-Forget, a French National Assemblyman who represents French citizens overseas, is an industrious middleman bridging France and the world through innovative enterprises. Found abandoned on the streets of Korea in 1983, Son-Forget was adopted to a French family at 3 months old. There, he grew up to become a radiologist and cognitive scientist, trained pianist and avid karate practitioner, before joining the party of French President Emmanuel Macron.The 34-year-old wunderkind represents

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 22, 2018

Having voluntarily renounced its atomic arsenal in 1991, Kazakhstan urges North Korea to abandon its nuclear aspirations and capitalizes on its nonpermanent membership in the United Nations Security Council for a world free of weapons of mass destruction, according to the Kazakh Embassy in Seoul. Kazakhstan assumed the presidency of the supreme body of five permanent members -- nuclear powers the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain and France -- and 10 nonpermanent members in January. It

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 22, 2018

The winter of early 1952 was cold enough to freeze the Imjin River that cuts across the inter-Korean border.The frigid weather let Canadian soldiers fighting in the Korean War indulge in their national pastime: ice hockey. In the thick of war, soldiers from the regiments Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and the Royal 22 Regiment, the “Van Doos,” put down their rifles and played a series of friendly hockey matches. The games were a precious respite from savage warfare.“I remember playi

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 22, 2018

Joachim Son-Forget, a member of the French National Assembly representing French residents abroad, is an enterprising middleman linking France to the world through innovative initiatives. The 34-year-old radiologist and cognitive scientist, adopted at 3 months old from Korea by a French family, represents the sixth constituency for French citizens overseas in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. He is also the president of the France-Korea Friendship Group, a parliamentary organization entrusted with

Culture Jan. 17, 2018

 Korea Image Award -- Participants pose at the 14th Korea Image Award ceremony and reception organized by the Corea Image Communications Institute at the InterContinental Seoul Coex on Tuesday.In the picture are award winners Joachim Son-Forget, Korea-born member of the French National Assembly (front row, fifth from left), CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik (front row, fourth from right), Russian model Angelina Danilova (front row, third from right) and corporate executives, diplomats and actors

Culture Jan. 16, 2018

Australian Ambassador James Choi wakes up at 5:30 a.m. for his daily run. “Running gives me a sense of purpose, motivation and energy,” he told The Korea Herald, stressing that a marathon requires half a year of training. “The training and discipline required for a marathon directly translate into how I go about my professional career.” Choi, his country’s first Korean-Australian ambassador, ran the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Torch Relay on Sunday morning with embassy staff and the Australian and

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 15, 2018

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Seoul will help organize a Sri Lanka Food Festival at Millennium Seoul Hilton from Feb. 1 through Feb. 10. The event at the hotel’s Cafe 395 Buffet Restaurant will feature a variety of authentic, scrumptious dishes of the South Asian island nation, which will be prepared by two local chefs of Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Sri Lanka flown in to Korea. The inaugural dinner will take place on Feb. 1.Sri Lankan cuisine has been shaped by a myriad of historical, cultural and c

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 15, 2018

Georgia is among the safest countries in the world to travel in, according to the United States State Department’s latest travel advisory.The advisory offers recommendations to US travelers with information on the safety and security situation of countries around the globe. Georgia is listed in the top tier of countries -- the lowest advisory level for safety and security risk -- out of four categories. The top level urges visitors to “exercise normal precautions,” while acknowledging there is s

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 15, 2018

Diplomats from the disarmament delegations of Austria, Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as Costa Rica’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Elayne Whyte Gomez, have received the highest number of votes in a recent online poll to recognize the “2017 Arms Control Person(s) of the Year.” The distinction recognizes their efforts to bring into being the historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted by the UN on July 7 las

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 15, 2018

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to waive public transportation fees during peak commute hours on Monday to mitigate the worsening air quality brought on by fine dust particles. The fee waiver is part of emergency measures that went into effect in Seoul at 5 p.m. Sunday as the fine dust level reached 57 micrograms per cubic meter as of 4 p.m. High levels of fine dust in Changwon. (Yonhap)The city government said Sunday that fees will be waived for Seoul’s city buses, town buses, Subway L

Social Affairs Jan. 14, 2018