UNJournal Kayla Lee | On February 4, the U.S. Department of State hosted the inaugural "Critical Minerals Ministerial." Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were among the American delegation. “Critical minerals and rare earths are essential for our most advanced technologies and will only become more important as AI, robotics, batteries, and autonomous devices transform our economies,” a post-meeting statement issued by the U.S. State Department read. It explained
UNJournal Kayla Lee | The Korea Research Institute for Local Administration (KRILA) and Korea Veterans Health Service (KVHS) chose February 4 to deliver food and other goods to marginalized Wonju residents in two separate acts. Both public institutions are based in the Gangwon-do Province city, about 130-km southeast of Seoul. The KVHS normally provides “medical care, rehabilitation, and welfare services to persons of distinguished service to the state,” according to its website, but 10 days before the start of this year’s five-day Lunar New Year (Seollal) holiday, its Director, Yun Jong-jin,
UNJournal Kayla Lee | Observed annually on January 18, Royal Thai Armed Forces Day honors the courage, service, and dedication of the military in safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty and security. The date commemorates the historic victory of King Naresuan the Great in 1593, a defining moment in Thai history that symbolizes bravery, strategic leadership, and national pride. To celebrate this legacy, the Royal Thai Embassy and the Office of the Defense Attaché hosted a reception on the evening of February 6, 2026, at the Ministry of National Defense Convention Hall in Seoul. The event drew a d
UNJournal Kayla Lee | On the afternoon of Wednesday, February 11, The Republic of Korea’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoonjoo will hold the second ROK-Italy Strategic Dialogue with Italy’s Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Maria Tripodi, Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reported on February 5. The ROK and Italy established their Strategic Partnership in 2018, and the first ROK-Italy Strategic Dialogue was held in 2020, according to MOFA’s statement. MOFA pointed out that Italy is Korea’s fourth-largest trading partner within the EU an
UNJournal Kayla Lee | The Southern Naeruk Railway, which had been neglected since its groundbreaking ceremony in 1966 due to lack of profitability, has finally held its groundbreaking ceremony. The Southern Inland Railway construction project is part of the "National Balanced Development Project (2019)" to revitalize the economy of the Yeongnam inland and southern coastal regions and improve transportation convenience for residents. This large-scale national project, linking Gimcheon City, North Gyeongsang Province, and Geoje City, South Gyeongsang Province, is a 174.6km line, with a total pro
UN Journal Kayla Lee | The Seoul Metropolitan Youth Center (SMYC) has published six research reports verifying the effectiveness of Seoul's 2025 youth policies and presenting directions for future development. The research covers core youth policy agendas, including mental health support programs (2 reports), the Youth Stipend (1), youth policy delivery systems (1), issue research (1), and social impact measurement (1). In the first such social impact measurement conducted this year, Seoul Youth Centers were found to have generated approximately 108 billion won in social value through policy d
UNJournal Kayla Lee | The Korea Local Finance Association (LOFA) and Chungcheongbuk-do Province held a discussion forum on February 6 at the Chungbuk Research Institute to assess progress made through “Local Extinction Response Fund” projects and address current challenges. The forum was attended by LOFA Chairman Jeong Seon Yong and officials responsible for population decline initiatives across Chungcheongbuk-do Province. Following presentations of outstanding local government achievements, LOFA's Regional Vitality Support Team explained the evaluation framework for the 2027 fund investment p
UN Journal Kayla Lee | Starting with the 2027 college entrance exam, the maximum number of medical school admissions will increase to 490. The additional students will be selected through a regional medical admission process at 32 medical schools outside of Seoul. On Tuesday, February 10th, at 2:00 PM, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Jung Eun-kyung) held a meeting of the Health and Medical Policy Deliberation Committee and announced a plan to gradually increase the number of physicians at 32 medical schools, excluding Seoul, by an average of 668 per year from 2027 to 2031 to stren