Luxembourg’s foreign minister visited Korea last week with a message for Assembly members over the failed passage of Korea’s trade pact with the European Union. “This is very serious, it is not pressure, but, if we cannot manage the entry into force on the July 1, then we have to change the date (into force) in the council and therefore, my suggestion is to do everything that can be done by the ...

Candidates go head-to-head on TV over illicit publicity in Gangwon Amid recent suspicions of illicit campaigning, the Gangwon governor candidates of the ruling and opposition parties clashed in a heated televised debate on the issue late on Saturday night. “Though I have tried my best to keep this by-election clean and fair, I am sorry that some of the overenthusiastic volunteers of our camps h...

PYEONGTAEK ― Pyeongtaek University is emerging as a major educational institution to help U.S. soldiers smoothly adjust to their new lives in Korea through a unique orientation program. Since 2006, the university in the western port city has run the Head Start Program for U.S. troops stationed at nearby Camp Humphreys, the 7th Air Force in Osan and other installations. Under the program, they le...

Union blames accidents on massive layoff of KORAIL maintenance workers KORAIL’s union has slammed staff cuts, blaming them for Saturday’s derailment of a metro train. While the operator discribes the accident as a minor error, its union attributes it to KORAIL’s downsizing of maintenance employees. Unionists said that the accident could have caused serious injuries, as well as damage. Accordin...

The new United Arab Emirates Ambassador, Abdulla Khalfan Matar Al Romaithi, will arrive in Seoul on April 28. Al Romaithi was sworn in on April 18 at the Al Mushrif Palace before President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Khalifa urged the new envoy to highlight the UAE’s position in the international community at different levels and develop joint interests. The UAE President reiter...

Traditional diplomatic interactions used to be the norm when building ties, but now a new paradigm has emerged where cultural and public diplomacy have become increasingly important. To change popular conceptions of Pakistan, the embassy organized an event for primary school-age children and their parents. Held at the National Library for Children and Young Adults in Gangnam district, the ambas...

For any country, picking its first ever honorary consul can be a tough choice, but at other times it is an easy fit. After over half a century of diplomatic relations, Brazil has chosen Hyundai Group chairperson Hyun Jeong-eun to represent Brazil’s interests in the southern part of the nation. “We have a lot of Brazilian citizens living in the southern part of the country and they need support,...

In Korea, wearing a hanbok could get you kicked out of a famous high-end hotel, but in Vietnam, after many years of conflicting feelings, the ao dai has become welcomed and part of everyday life. To showcase the beauty and global mark of both dresses, the Vietnamese Embassy set up a cultural exchange day that celebrates the new designs changing the face of these classical icons. “In the context...

Dynamic duo’s half a decade proved beneficial for ties and their future The reality that one of the diplomatic community’s most respected ambassadorial couples is leaving only rang true after they looked back on their residence to see a once colorful home laid bare. Paintings, artifacts and everything that makes a home personal and representative of a family have been packed up and sent on thei...

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Sunday mourned hundreds of her country’s soldiers who fell during the 1950-1953 Korean War and visited the truce village of Panmunjeom during her visit to South Korea. “Our commitment to Korea was a sign of the future of Australia’s security in the new post-war world,” Gillard said in a ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of a fierce battle at G...