Georgian Ambassador to Korea Otar Berdzenishvili (Georgian Embassy)The year 2018 has been a highly productive one for the Georgian Embassy in Seoul. It marked the centennial anniversary of Georgia’s declaration of independence on May 26, 1918, highlighted by a series of partnership events with Korean institutions and businesses from diplomacy, trade and investments in food, tourism, culture, sports and education.Georgian Ambassador to Korea Otar Berdzenishvili felt that Tbilisi and Seoul had a y

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 24, 2018

Under the new administration of President Ivan Duque Marquez, Colombia is steadily moving toward peace and development, said the country’s top diplomat during a visit to Korea last week.Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo Garcia said that Bogota looks for greater collaboration with Seoul ahead of the potential visit of its leader next year.“The Colombian government attaches great significance to our bilateral relations that were elevated in 2011 to the ‘association of strategic coo

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 24, 2018

Late South Korean economic policymaker Kim Ip-sam (left) sits next to the late Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung at an international conference in the late 1970s, when they worked as the vice chairman and chairman, respectively, of the Federation of Korean Industries. (Kim So-im)Many South Koreans take the nation’s prosperity for granted nowadays, but it wasn’t always the case. Unlike countries blessed with abundant natural resources, Korea’s freedom and wealth were forged by the blood and swe

Books Dec. 20, 2018

Harry Harris, US ambassador to the Republic of Korea (KAFS)Several months ago in Seoul, US Ambassador Harry Harris had a chance to think about the alliance between his country and South Korea when a young college student asked him, “Ambassador, I hear you had a distinguished military career. Did you fight in the Korean War?”The envoy was born in 1956, some three years after the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. He told the student that it was his father who fought in the war.“This story illustrates

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 17, 2018

Arab countries are moving beyond the oil and gas industries to diversify and innovate their economies, and this is where the next wave of global cooperation in commerce and culture can happen, says Omani Ambassador Mohamed al-Harthy.“Most Arab countries, including the oil-and-gas-dependent Gulf Cooperation Council member states to which Oman belongs, lately launched a strategy of economic diversification, focusing on logistics, information communications technology, manufacturing and industry, h

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 17, 2018

Andriy Parubiy, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament Verkhovna Rada, believes that interparliamentary exchanges can open up diverse channels of cooperation between countries. It is what translates the abstract language of diplomacy into real connections and frank understanding, spanning the whole spectrum of national industries and communities. In order to elevate bilateral political relations and explore new avenues of prosperity, he signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul on Wednesday wi

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 17, 2018

The Swedish Embassy in Seoul and Korean Embassy in Stockholm jointly announced the winner of the Sweden-Korea 60 Years Logo Design Competition last week. The honor went to Jo A-ra, who works as an editorial designer at a company in Korea, out of 200 entrants. Her design will be used at promotional events and on items for next year’s 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomacy.“I really like the playfulness of the logo. It represents key features of the Sweden-Korea relationship: innovation and frien

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 10, 2018

A photo shows Korean participants at the Second World Festival of Youth and Students in Budapest, Hungary, in 1949. Dancer Kim Baek-bong is second from right. (Hungarian Embassy/Fortepan)Hungarian Ambassador to Korea Mozes Csoma on Friday brought back to life a forgotten page of history connecting Hungary and a prewar Korean Peninsula. At the Arko Arts Theater in Seoul, he presented an archival photo he discovered to Kim Baek-bong, a 92-year-old woman who took part in the Second World Festival o

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 10, 2018

By Spanish Ambassador to Korea Juan Ignacio Morro The people of Spain recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Spanish constitution that was approved in a national referendum and ratified on Dec. 6, 1978. Since the historic day, the supreme law has united all Spanish citizens, and launched Spain’s journey as an open, modern and inclusive country.Over the last four decades, Spain has established itself as a democratic state based on the rule of law. We have deeply committed ourselves to th

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 10, 2018

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (AP/Yonhap)By Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Istanbul recently hosted two separate, but interrelated and imperative, conferences on conflict mediation. The Second Organization for Islamic Cooperation Member States’ Conference on Mediation on Nov. 29 analyzed the geography of conflict and our capacity for mediation as key regional stakeholders. The Fifth Istanbul Mediation Conference on Nov. 30 discussed the connections between sustainable deve

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 10, 2018

The sixth ASEAN Connectivity Forum at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul on Nov. 27. (AKC)Despite being a giant economic bloc with high growth prospects, Southeast Asia has not fully reaped the benefits of its potential due to a shortage of advanced and efficient infrastructure. That is about to change gradually, as member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations increasingly connect their domestic territories physically, technologically and institutionally, as well

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 10, 2018

By Dr. Kim Hyun-jae, director of the Vietnam Research Institute at Youngsan University At the invitation of Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Thi Kim Ngan will visit Korea from Dec. 4-7, accompanied by a high-level delegation of her fellow politicians. Her visit occurs as Hanoi and Seoul celebrate 10 years of “Vietnam-Korea Strategic Cooperative Partnership” (2009-2019).Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on Dec. 22, 1992, our re

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 3, 2018

Azerbaijani Ambassador Ramzi Teymurov (Joel Lee / The Korea Herald)Carpets have been woven in Azerbaijan through the centuries, forming the essential fabric of its multicultural society and heritage.Displaying chic color compositions, intricate patterns and designs, they are appreciated by Azerbaijanis and foreigners alike. Despite being world-class, Azerbaijani carpets are not universally recognized. To help promote them, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Seoul has organized an exhibition of the count

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 3, 2018

New Zealand is pushing the boundaries of innovation as a “country-sized incubator,” and seeking further synergies with Korean small and midsized companies and startups, according to the country’s top envoy to Korea. “Innovation starts at the edge, and New Zealand is perfectly situated to change the world for the better,” Ambassador Philip Turner said at the 2018 Kiwi Chamber Year-end Grand Hui in Seoul on Thursday. “New Zealand’s place at the edge of the world has bred a unique way of looking at

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 3, 2018

By Costa Rican Ambassador to Korea Rodolfo Solano Quiros Seventy years ago, on Dec. 1, 1948, Costa Ricans stood arm in arm to say goodbye to a history of violence and war: We abolished our army as a nation forever.Instead of a military parade where soldiers march brandishing their guns and artillery, our national celebrations are marked by children and youths carrying the Costa Rican flag, colorfully dressed in school uniforms. The decision has allowed the force of reason to guide our history, f

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 3, 2018