Mongolia has begun administering a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine nationwide on a voluntary basis starting from Jan. 7, the Embassy of Mongolia in Seoul said in a press statement Sunday. Some 66 percent of the Mongolian population have received two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 28.7 percent have had the third shot. The press statement said Mongolia’s mortality rate from COVID-19 was lower compared to developed countries due to its immediate vaccination campaign and that it ha

Social Affairs Jan. 24, 2022

 Indonesia will bolster economic ties with Korea through a range of projects involving cooperation through bilateral and multinational agreements and private sectors, said Indonesia’s newly appointed ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto Soeherman. Through private-public partnerships (PPP), the Indonesia-Korea comprehensive economic partnership agreement (IK-CEPA), the regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP), foreign direct investment (FDI), and the creative economy, the

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 17, 2022

 Negotiations with Poland and the European Union are the first step toward normalizing the Polish-Belarus border situation and Belarus is ready for talks, according to Belarusian ambassador to Korea Andrew Chernetsky. Speaking during an interview with The Korea Herald on Jan. 4, Chernetsky cited Polish and EU authorities’ reluctance to consultations on the issue and military operations as root causes of the crisis. According to the ambassador, Belarus has proposed the European Comm

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 10, 2022

The situation in Kazakhstan will soon stabilized without changes to economic policy and the investment climate, said Bakyt Dyussenbayev, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Korea told The Korea Herald in an email interview Sunday. Saying that his country was committed to security and the protection of foreign missions, personnel, property of companies and investors, and to the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms, the envoy stressed that his country’s obligations to such cause

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 10, 2022

South Korea and Singapore should use the pandemic as an opportunity to plan and prepare for the future, the Singaporean ambassador and Herald Corp. chairman said in a meeting on Wednesday. Singapore Ambassador to Korea Eric Teo paid a courtesy visit to Herald Corp. headquarters in central Seoul where he, The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young and Herald Corp. Chairman Jung Won-ju exchanged views on the emerging trends amid the COVID-19 pandemic, such as education trends, carbon neutrality, d

People Jan. 5, 2022

The head of a pan-Asian peace and security organization expressed its support for cooperation with Korea in key areas and asked it to send diplomats to help with regional efforts for peace and stability. The secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures (CICA) is committed to supporting Korea in priority areas of energy security and information technology, CICA executive director Kairat Sarybay told The Korea Herald Thursday. In an online interview Sarybay refe

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 4, 2022

The Georgian Embassy celebrated Georgia Day at the 12th week of The Korea Herald’s Eurasian Economic and Cultural forum on Dec. 29 at Sebitseom. The embassy helped arrange a wine tasting event and showcased Georgia’s history, traditions, cultural and touristic potential through video clips to CEOs attending the forum. “Georgia counts around 8,000 years of uninterrupted viticulture and unique winemaking, and has more than 525 types of indigenous grape varieties,” said Ge

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 4, 2022

Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski defended his country’s actions on the Poland-Belarus border, saying the current situation was not just a migration issue but a political crisis stirred up by the Aleksandra Lukashenka regime as retaliation for European Union sanctions against Belarus. Thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East are stranded on the Belarusian side of the border trying to cross into Poland. The United Nations last week called on the two countries to addre

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 28, 2021

The Korea-Arab Society held a logo contest commemorating next year’s 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations of South Korea with Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia on Dec. 22 to enhance mutual cooperation. 　 The contest was sponsored by Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-hosted by the Korea-Arab Society, Korean embassies in Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia and Jordanian, Moroccan and Saudi Arabian embassies in Korea.　 According to the Korea-Arab Society, 154 logo designs fro

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 28, 2021

The ASEAN-Korea Center’s sixth academy essay contest held from August to November praised creative proposals on transforming youth’s mutual perceptions in an accelerated digital transformation era, acknowledging the strengthened partnership on trade and investment between Southeast Asia and Korea. The AKC held its sixth academy essay contest award ceremony and webinar on Dec. 21 via Zoom. Co-organized by the Korean Association for Southeast Asian Studies, Seoul National University

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 28, 2021

   COVID-19 provided valuable lessons for future cooperation between Indonesia and South Korea in health, biopharmaceuticals, energy and technology, said Indonesian charge d’affaires Zelda Wulan Kartika at the Eurasian Economic and Cultural Forum on Wednesday. According to Kartika, by promoting strategic projects and investments in infrastructure, the food industry and the digital economy, and expanding market access through e-commerce, tourism and digital platforms, Indonesia

People Dec. 26, 2021

GREAT VICTORY DAY – Bangladesh Ambassador Md. Delwar Hossain hoists Bangladeshi flag and delivers welcome remarks at the Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul on Thursday, paying a rich tribute to Bangladesh’s first president, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is known as the “father of the nation and the valiant freedom fighters and violated women, whose supreme sacrifices ushered in the independence through a nine-month historic war of independence.“ (Embassy of Bangladesh i

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 21, 2021

The Embassy of Argentina in Seoul opened the Mafalda Cultural Space to showcase Latin culture in Korea on Thursday. Mafalda is a cultural icon for Argentinians that originates from title of a comic strip character started in 1964 created by Joaquin Salvador Lavado Tejon also known as Quino. The cartoon was eventually published in 27 languages. Mafalda is the name of curious, lively and dedicated 6-year-old main character girl intending social equality and highlighting rationalism that became

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 21, 2021

The Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul observed International Migrants Day 2021 with the theme “Harnessing the Potential of Human Mobility” on Sunday in Seoul. At the event, 17 Bangladeshi Employment Permit System workers received awards from the Korean government in recognition of their achievements of having worked with the same employer for the longest period, attained Korean language proficiency and engaged in voluntary services. Ten Korean employers were also honored for employing th

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 21, 2021

Israel is to donate 1 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine against COVID-19 to African countries through the international COVAX vaccine distribution program, the Embassy of Israel in Seoul said in a press statement Thursday. Israel made the pledge after discussing the donation with Israel’s prime minister’s office, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Health. According to the embassy, Israel has strengthened relations with African countries, which saw

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 21, 2021