By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Obid Khakimov, director of the Center for Economic Research and Reforms, to UN Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. On April 3–4, 2025, Samarkand will host a historic event: the first-ever Summit between the European Union and Central Asia. The meeting will be chaired by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and will include the participation of the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The EU will be represented by European Council President Antonio Cost
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo George Mason University Korea, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and Coupang announced on March 25 the 2025 Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Esports Competition, a U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral initiative aimed at fostering strategic thinking, teamwork, and digital engagement among young gamers. This competition will serve as an educational platform for participants to develop essential cognitive and collaborative skills within a competitive environment while strengthening trilateral relations between the three nations. The YTL Esports Competition provid
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo Hyundai Motor Group announced a significant investment of USD 21 billion in the United States from 2025 to 2028, the group said on March 25. This commitment reflects the Group’s strategic focus on expanding its manufacturing capabilities, advancing future technologies, and enhancing energy infrastructure in America. This latest U.S. investment builds on the Group’s existing allocation of approximately USD 20.5 billion since entering the U.S. market in 1986. “Hyundai Motor Group is deepening its partnership with the United States, reinforcing our shared vision for Amer
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Lee Jooil, Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who visited Madrid, Spain, held the 5th meeting of the Korean and Spanish Directors-General for Latin American and Caribbean affairs with Francisco Javier Gasso Matoses, Director-General for Ibero-America and the Caribbean at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on March 19. The two directors-general exchanged views on the rapidly changing global environment and the consequent changes in the Latin American situation. They also discussed foreign policies toward La
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo Jeollanam-do Governor Kim Young-rok met with Mongolian Ambassador to Korea Sukhbold Sukhee in the provincial building on March 20 to discuss ways to promote friendly exchanges for mutual prosperity. “Mongolia is a country with vast territory, abundant mineral resources and green energy resources, and we look forward to exchanges in various fields of economy and trade, education, culture and tourism,” Gov. Kim said. He went on to introduce various international events held in Jeonnam and the cultural industries of the province, calling for interest. Major international
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang City, Gyeongbuk Province, met with former Israeli Ambassador to Korea Chaim Choshen, who visited Pohang on March 18, and asked him to help build bridges between Pohang and Israel. Former Ambassador Chaim Choshen, who received an honorary doctorate from Handong University, is one of Israel's leading experts on East Asia and served as the country's ambassador to South Korea from 2016 to 2020. He has been involved with Pohang since the 2017 earthquake, when the Israeli Embassy donated $10,000 worth of supplies to local victims. Recently, he
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo High-Level International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation will be held from 29 to 31 May 2025 in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan, to highlight the vital role of glaciers in maintaining global ecological balance and addressing water-related challenges, the Embassy of Tajikistan in Seoul said on March 18. This Conference will emphasize the crucial connection between glaciers and sustainable socio-economic development, focusing on how glacier preservation is essential to safeguarding livelihoods, ensuring water availability, minimizing related hazards, recognizing t
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “Tajikistan stands ready for strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with the Republic of Korea in such areas as hydropower, textile, light, chemical and food industries, mining and processing of mineral ore and rare metals, mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, transport and tourism,” said Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Republic of Korea Salohiddin Kirom on March 14. In an exclusive interview with Diplomacy Journal held at the Embassy of Tajikistan in Hannan-dong, Seoul, Amb. Salohiddin Kirom said, “Tajikistan is open to conside
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Director-General for International Security Youn Jong-kwon held a meeting with Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, Managing Director for Peace, Security and Defense of the European External Action Service (EEAS), to exchange views on ways to expand ROK-EU security cooperation on March 11. Building upon the agreement to strengthen security partnership reached at the 2023 summit and in line with the ROK-EU Security and Defense Partnership document adopted in November 2024, the two sides agreed on seeking to hold an ROK-EU Security and Defense Dialogue in Seoul in the first half o
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a state visit to France at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron on March 11-13, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul said. France, a highly developed industrial and agricultural nation, holds a leading global position in industrial output. Its economic prowess places it among the world’s top seven economies. A nuclear power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, France also plays a pivotal role within the European Union and on the broader international stage. France recognized Uzbekistan’s independen
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “Lithuania is a global leader in laser technology, with its companies supplying precision laser systems used in medicine, industry, and scientific research worldwide,” said Amb. H.E. Ricardas Slepavicius of the Republic of Lithuania on March 6. In an exclusive interview with Diplomacy Journal held at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Amb. Slepavicius said, “Among the three Baltic countries, Lithuania stands as South Korea's largest trading partner. Korean investors are particularly drawn to Lithuania’s rapidly growing biopharmaceutical indu
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany successfully launched the first-ever Korea-Germany Indo-Pacific Dialogue on March 10, 2025. Eui-hae Cecilia Chung, Special Representative for the Indo-Pacific Region, and Frank Hartmann, Director General for Asia and the Pacific at the German Federal Foreign Office, convened the dialogue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul. Both sides shared the recognition that the stability of the Indo-Pacific region is critical not only for regional peace and prosperity but also
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young The following article was contributed by Choi Keong-ju, a professor of Keimyung University (Ph.D) and advisor of Korea-Saudi Friendship Society, to Diplomacy Journal for publication.—Ed. Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 is a comprehensive strategy for the kingdom to diversify its economy and achieve social reforms as it moves away from its oil-dependent economy. The plan was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in April 2016 and provides a blueprint for the Kingdom's long-term economic and social development. Its main objectives are as follows. Firstly, it aims t
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, who is on an official visit to Poland, held a bilateral meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Warsaw, Poland, on March 5. The two ministers exchanged views on bilateral relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and major regional and international issues, including the war in Ukraine, during a luncheon meeting following their bilateral meeting. Minister Cho expressed his pleasure at being invited by Minister Sikorski to visit Poland, the first visit by a South Korean foreign minister to Poland in six y
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo “The Dominican Republic is ready, as well, for Korean investment in energy transition, for Korean services to decarbonize all sectors, for working together on creating a circular economy and for strengthening our defense and security,” said His Excellency Dr. Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Delivering a statement on the occasion of the 181st National Day Celebration of the Dominican Republic, which was held at the Ambassador Pullman Hotel in Seoul on March 6, Amb. Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo said, “That is why Dominican