By Lee Jon-young, publisher-chairman of Diplomacy Journal True communication between people begins with a desire to understand differences, and when it comes to people with disabilities, we need to have the courage to put aside our prejudices and preconceived notions. Many of us tend to unconsciously distance ourselves from people with disabilities when we encounter them. But we need to remember that what they're looking for is not special consideration, but simply an everyday attitude of equal respect. Treating people with disabilities the same as everyone else and engaging in natural, casual
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea hosted the opening ceremony for the 5th KOREAZ Supporters Program on April 18, 2025. During the event, 32 participants (16 Korean and 16 international students) were officially appointed as the newest cohort of KOREAZ Supporters. KOREAZ is the name of the Foreign Ministry's digital public diplomacy channel on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. In her welcoming remarks, Ms. Seo Bihn, Director-General of the Public Diplomacy and Cultural Affairs Bureau, highlighted the growing importance of digital public diplomacy
By UN Journal Lee Kap-soo LG Electronics (LG), a mobility sector technology leader, has been honored at General Motors’ (GM) 33rd annual Supplier of the Year event in Arizona, USA, earning the coveted title of “Creativity Team Award” for redefining in-vehicle entertainment and connectivity, the LG said on April 14. “This latest recognition from GM serves as a testament to our commitment to developing and reliably supplying innovative automotive solutions,” said Eun Seok-hyun, president of the LG Vehicle Solution Company. “We look forward to strengthening our partnership as we continue to push
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young In the spring of 2025, Diplomacy Journal, a diplomacy-specialized publication that has been at the center of Korea's diplomatic history, celebrated its 28th anniversary. In 1997, when diplomacy was still an unfamiliar and distant concept to many Koreans, Diplomacy Journal took its first steps with a single mission: to “record the scene of diplomacy.” From scenes of establishing diplomatic relations to embassy openings, international conferences, diplomats' on-the-ground essays, and the stories of consular officers who work behind the scenes, Diplomacy Journal has fa
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young Former Constitutional Court Judge Lee Young-jin (64) has been appointed as the new chairman of the Sports Fairness Commission of Korean Sport and Olympic Committee. Korean Sport and Olympic Committee held a board meeting on the afternoon of March 27 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul Grand Ballroom in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The board agreed to appoint former Constitutional Court Justice Lee Young-jin as chairman of the Sports Fairness Commission. Lee will succeed Kim Byung-chul and will begin his two-year term as soon as the appointment process is completed. Lee, a 22nd class of
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young A court has granted a request to revoke the detention of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was indicted and detained on charges of being the "ringleader of a rebellion" related to the martial law crisis. The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 25 (Head Judge Ji Gui-yeon) granted Yoon's request to cancel his detention on March 7. Revocation of detention is a system that allows prosecutors, defendants, defense lawyers, and others to ask the court to remove a person from detention when the reason for detention no longer exists or has been eliminated. President
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young The Korean coffee market is gaining global attention. It is now more than just a trend, but a new category called 'K-Coffee' is forming alongside K-Food. At the center of it all is Kim Jin-koo, CEO of COFFEE NINE, who raised the profile of Korean coffee by winning 6th place at the 2012 SCAE WCIC World Championships in Vienna, Austria as a Korean national team member. He is leading the innovation of Korea's leading K-Coffee brand by exploring the essence of coffee. Kim Jin-koo, a pioneer of K-Coffee franchise With a deep understanding and research of coffee, Kim made
UNJournal Jon Lee | The following is the English version of the full text of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s closing statement at the impeachment trial, which was translated by 'Deepl.” It is assumed that there may be errors in the English translation. — Ed. Honorable members of the Constitutional Court and beloved people who have been following this trial with interest, it has been 84 days since I declared emergency martial law on December 3 last year. These have been some of the most difficult days of my life, but they have also been a time of gratitude and reflection. As I took stock of myself, I
By UN Journal Kayla Lee Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul met with representatives of organizations for abductees and prisoners of war (POWs), and the families of Korean missionaries who are detained in North Korea on Feb. 5. Among the participants in the meeting were Chief Director Lee Sung Eui of the Korean War Abductees' Families Association, Representative Son Myeong-hwa of the Korean War POW Family Association, Kim Jeong-sam (brother of missionary Kim Jung-wook, who has been detained in North Korea since 2013), and Choi Jin-young (son of missionary Choi Chun-gil, who has been detain
UNJournal Jon Lee | The Republic of Korea is currently experiencing a major economic, political, and social crisis. Although each of us has been living our lives to the best of our abilities, the reason we are facing such a difficult situation is because we have lost our identity as "people." Who owns Korea? The people of Korea. But unfortunately, the true sense of “people” is disappearing in our society. This is because we belong to various organizations, but we have lost our identity as a people, which should be the most fundamental thing. Since the founding of Korea, our society has seen th
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young In order to maintain a just society, the law must be operated based on fairness and trust. Dasan Jeong Yak-yong (丁若鏞, 1762-1836), a Silhak scholar of the late Joseon Dynasty who studied practical matters, wrote "Heumheumsinseo欽欽新書" and sought ways to rationally enforce criminal law and prevent unjust prison cases. This was part of efforts to improve the judicial system at the time and is considered an important guideline for fair trials. In modern society, securing fairness and trust in the judicial system is an important task, and legal measures such as the revisio
By Special Feature Editor Samson Rhee President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea (now in internment) published a lengthy statement on Jan. 15, 2025 expressing himself on the development which ultimately led to his temperary internment. The statement appears fully expresses his position and himself on the recent developments in Korea and on and about himself. This letter was made private and then released on the afternoon of Jan. 15th through President Yoon’s Facebook. Presented hereunder are the full details of an unoffical English translation of the Statement of President Yoon Suk-yeol-
By UN Journal Lee Jon-young 湖月撈影 湖月撈影 "Trying to catch the moon in the lake." 湖水無塵映月明 "The lake is clear without dust, shining brightly in the moonlight" 輕波一掬碎光生 ""When the calm waves rise, a shattered light is seen." 虛浮難取縈手裏 "A floating shadow is hard to catch, and it drifts in my hand." 空勞夢影滿江聲 "Empty labor is all that remains, and the river is filled with the shadows of dreams." This poem expresses a sense of vain desire and futility through the contents, "I try to catch the moon reflected in the lake, but I can't." The lake is clear, and the moonlight is clear. But the object of desire is
UNJournal Jon Lee | The Global Impact Coalition (GIC), a CEO-led collaborative platform for a net-zero chemicals future, is proud to announce LG Chem as its newest member. As one of the world’s largest chemical companies and a leader in sustainable materials, LG Chem’s membership sends a strong signal to Asia and the broader industry that global collaboration is essential to developing sustainable and commercially viable solutions. This milestone reinforces GIC’s growing global impact and highlights the importance of international partnerships in scaling up solutions to reduce emissions. Notab
By UN Journal Kayla Lee The Jongno-gu Saemaul Association (Chairman Park Nae-chun) successfully held its 2025 General Assembly on the afternoon of Jan. 23 at the 4th floor of the Ewha-dong Community Center. The general meeting was attended by about 70 delegates, including Chairman Park Nae-chun, Jongno-gu Mayor Chung Moon-heon, Jongno-gu Council Chairman Ra Do-gyun, and Jongno-gu Council members, as well as about 100 local residents and officials of the Saemaul movement. The general assembly received reports on the main business performance and revenue and expenditure settlement for 2024, and