UNJournal Jon Lee | A new direction for South Korea's cultural policy has been set. Rep. Kim Kyo-heung, a three-term senior politician from the Democratic Party (Incheon Seo-gu Gap), was elected as the chair of the 22nd National Assembly's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee at the National Assembly plenary session on June 27. Kim's election as chair is seen as more than just a personnel change, but as the establishment of new leadership for South Korea's cultural, tourism, and sports policies. Kim, who served as chairman of the Incheon University Student Council, led the May 3 Democratic U
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Director-General for Consular Affairs and Safety Yoon Chu Sok held the 7th ROK-Thailand Consular Consultation in Bangkok with H.E. Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 9, 2025. The two sides engaged in wide-ranging discussions on bilateral consular issues, including ▴enhancing the convenience of entry, exit, and stay for Korean nationals in Thailand, and ▴protecting Korean nationals residing in Thailand. Director-General Yoon emphasized that the bilateral relationship between the two
UNJournal Jon Lee | The Preparatory Office for APEC 2025 held the First Advance Visit for 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting for delegates from 20 APEC member economies from July 9 to July 10, 2025. The First Advance Visit was chaired by Senior Managing Director Kim Ji-Joon and attended by over 120 participants, including delegations from APEC member economies and officials from relevant authorities. Korea will host the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju in the second half of 2025, marking 20 years since its last hosting of the event in Busan in 2005. On the first day, the Prepar
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Korea need to speed up cooperation in the sector of critical minerals, in addition to the diplomatic and political field,” said Ambassador of the DRC to Korea Atoki Ileka on July 9. In an exclusive interview with the Diplomacy Journal held at the Embassy of DRC in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Ambassador Atoki Ileka said, “South Korea emphasized expanding trade and investment in Africa, particularly focusing on critical minerals at the recent Korea-Africa Summit in June 2024. To that effect, a Korea-Africa Critical
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young In the art world, the title of ‘artist’ is not simply a job title or a nameplate. It is the result of public verification and a symbol of the trust that creators receive from the art world. In particular, the titles ‘recommended artist’ and ‘invited artist,’ which are commonly seen in exhibition halls, have functioned as symbolic language that goes beyond simple distinctions to encapsulate the creative journey and artistic position of the artist. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing number of cases where the mandatory step of being a recommended ar
UNJournal Jon Lee | National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac, who is visiting the United States, held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C. on July 7 (local time) to discuss current issues in South Korea-U.S. relations, the Presidential Office announced. At the meeting, South Korea emphasized the need for the two countries to consult on current issues between them and develop their alliance further based on the spirit of alliance, and expressed its hope that the South Korean and U.S. national security advisors would work closely toget
UNJournal Jon Lee | KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office) Commissioner Kim Wan-ki held high-level talks with Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Malki at the Qatar Ministry of Commerce and Industry and signed a “Strategic Partnership Program on Establishing a National Intellectual Property Strategy and Strengthening Capabilities” on July 6 (Qatar local time). Qatar is accelerating its transition to a knowledge-based economy based on the ‘Qatar National Vision 2030’ in order to break away from its oil-dependent economic structure, and has decided
UNJournal Jon Lee | Hamyang County in Gyeongsangnam-do province hosted an international exchange event with Ethiopian Ambassador to South Korea Dessie Dalkie Dukamo and his entourage on July 8, 2025. This visit was arranged in anticipation of the upcoming overseas experience trip to Ethiopia by Geumban Elementary School students in November. The ambassador and his delegation attended the “Glocal Connection Day” event at Geumban Elementary School, participating in lectures, traditional coffee ceremonies, and a commemorative tree-planting ceremony. The ambassador's lecture, themed “The Past and
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Dr. Shin Hee-seok, a legal analyst of the Transnational Justice Working Group (TJWG), was appointed as a member of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) at the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on July 8, 2025. The WGAD is one of the special procedures of the HRC and is composed of five members appointed from each of the UN’s five regional groups. The WGAD investigates cases of deprivation of liberty imposed arbitrarily or inconsistently with international human rights standards, and adopts an opinion as to the arbitrariness of the detention an
By UN Journal Kayla Lee On the sidelines of the 4th Conference on Financing for Development (June 30-July 3, Seville), Kim Jina, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a joint meeting on July 1, with the high-level representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to announce the ROK government’s humanitarian assistance initiatives and its key project plans for this year. The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development was the first high-level meeting convened by the UN in a decade si
UNJournal Jon Lee | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Climate Change in Seoul on July 1, 2025. It was organized by the Korea Institute of Energy Research and supported by the Seoul Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, the Korea Startup Accelerator and Early Stage Investors Association, and the Chungnam Content Agency. As AI technologies play an increasingly significant role in addressing climate change and accelerating the energy transition, this conference brought together over 450 participants—including representa
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Director-General for Northeast and Central Asian Affairs Kang Young-shin held a consultation in Seoul with the Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Liu Jinsong on July 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The previous ROK-China director-general-level consultation was held on December 30, 2024, in China. Both sides agreed to maintain communication at all levels, building on their shared understanding of the need to seize the opportunity of the upcoming APEC Summit in Gyeongju to furt
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young President Lee Jae-myung said at a press conference held on July 3, marking 30 days since his inauguration, “We are doing our best to achieve mutually beneficial and win-win results based on the principle of practical diplomacy centered on national interests in the Korea-U.S. trade negotiations, which is one of the most pressing issues.” He also said, “Based on the solid U.S.-Korea alliance, close U.S.-Korea-Japan cooperation, and the prompt improvement of relations with China and Russia, we will protect peace and the lives of our people through practical diplomacy c
By UN Journal Kayla Lee “We’re here in Sevilla, Spain to change course,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told world leaders on June 30, calling on them to grasp a once-in-a-decade opportunity to close a $4 trillion financing gap facing developing countries to meet sustainable development goals – and build a better world for all. According to the UN News, António Guterres issued his clarion call noting that sustainable development powered by international cooperation, is now facing “massive headwinds.” Addressing the opening session of the 4th Financing for Development Conference (FFD4) i
UNJournal Jon Lee | Nkubito Manzi Bakuramutsa, the Rwandan Ambassador to South Korea, visited the Chungcheongbuk-do province and met with Governor Kim Young-hwan on June 30, 2025. This visit was part of mutual exchanges that began with the visit of Kim Soo-min, Vice Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do Province, to the Rwandan Embassy in South Korea in March. During the meeting, they discussed ways to strengthen economic cooperation, cultivate bio talent, and develop the bio industry. Vice Governor Kim emphasized, “Chungbuk Province is the heart of K-Bio and a forward base for life science innovation