DUSHANBE, Tajikistan -- Leaders, experts and policymakers called for urgent action to address water challenges at the Third Dushanbe Water Action Decade Conference held in Tajikistan's capital of Dushanbe last week. Held June 10-13, the conference was part of a biennial series co-organized by the government of Tajikistan, the United Nations and the European Union to support the International Decade for Action under the theme, “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028,” and

Foreign Affairs June 17, 2024

Egypt aims to boost cooperation with Korea in digital capacity-building, artificial intelligence, electronics design and manufacturing, according to the Egyptian minister in charge of communication and information technology. Speaking with The Korea Herald on Wednesday, Minister Amr Talaat expressed optimism about creating synergy with ICT potentials between the two nations, after a forum held on the sidelines of the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit last week where he met his South Korean counterpa

Foreign Affairs June 11, 2024

North Sulawesi Gov. Olly Dondokambey cited links between North Sulawesi-South Korea as a win-win for both Indonesia and South Korea during an interview with The Korea Herald on Wednesday. "Direct flights between Jeju and Manado, taking approximately four hours, are crucial. Indonesian citizens can visit Jeju without a visa, enhancing tourism and business travel," Dondokambey said referring to the strategic importance of direct flights between the two countries. According to Dondokambey

Foreign Affairs June 11, 2024

Sweden marked its National Day on Wednesday, celebrating 501 years of independence since the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523, and the 50th anniversary of Carl XVI Gustaf's reign, Sweden's longest-serving monarch. Delivering remarks at the event, Johannes Andreasson, charge d'affaires at the Swedish Embassy, highlighted the deep historical ties between Sweden and Korea. "We are celebrating 65 years of diplomatic relations, but our contacts date back over 300 years,"

Foreign Affairs June 11, 2024

Nazira Nurbayeva, Kazakhstan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, expressed a strong commitment to boosting economic diplomacy with South Korea to shape future potential and mutual benefits. The term refers to promoting a state's economic interests through the use of economic tools in trade and investment, leveraging a comparative advantage to achieve specific foreign policy objectives. "Kazakhstan has resources, low production costs and affordable utilities, while Korea brings

Foreign Affairs June 11, 2024

Local law firm DR & AJU LLC hosted the Korea-Africa Energy Investment Forum on the sidelines of the Korea-Africa Summit last week. The event was attended by 150 delegates, including businesspeople from 36 African nations and South Korea. Notable attendees included Rep. Na Kyung-won, Minister of Trade and Industry Cheong In-kyo and Lee Kyu-chul, managing partner of DR & AJU. Timothy Dickens, chair of the South Asian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Korea, opened the forum with an overv

Foreign Affairs June 10, 2024

Amid intensifying nuclear threats from North Korea, Peru firmly supports the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the South American country's foreign minister told The Korea Herald. In a written interview, Foreign Minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea condemned North Korea's continuous tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, calling the reclusive regime a serious threat to international peace and security. The minister is in Seoul to participate in the Korea-LAC Future Cooperat

Foreign Affairs June 10, 2024

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son urged the Vietnamese community in South Korea to capitalize on growing Vietnam-Korea ties, as he recently attended the kick-off ceremony of the Business Association of Vietnamese in Korea (BAViK). "Currently, the relationship between Vietnam and Korea is at the highest stage of development, and despite the challenging global and Korean economic situations, there are ample opportunities for growth and collaboration," Bui said on May 30, addressi

Foreign Affairs June 7, 2024

Tarash Papaskua, Georgian Ambassador to South Korea, celebrated its 106th Independence Day and the 33rd anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union at a recent event held in Seoul. "Despite the short period of its existence from 1918 to 1921, the Democratic Republic of Georgia had a significant impact on the development of Georgian statehood in the long run," said Papaskua, during his remarks at the event on May 27. Georgia is now facing geopolitical challenges from Russia�

Foreign Affairs June 7, 2024

Rwandan President Paul Kagame expressed high hopes to forge mutually beneficial ties with South Korea, stressing that the support from Asia's fourth-largest economy to the continent, particularly Rwanda, is an investment for mutual gains. “Korea should, in fact, say that the support they give to countries in Africa or to Rwanda in particular is a sort of investment," the president said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Tuesday. "It's investing your money

Foreign Affairs June 5, 2024

Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, called on South Korea to enhance cooperation with the country’s Atlantic coast vision, which aims to connect its coastline to the Americas. "Today, the focus of the African continent has shifted towards developing and enhancing the Atlantic coast,” said Bourita in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Monday. “We must strive to reach landlocked African nations that also need these benefits," he said, noting th

Foreign Affairs June 4, 2024

Nigeria's plans to create a favorable environment for electric vehicle investment will be an opportunity for South Korean carmakers, Nigeria's foreign minister told The Korea Herald. "You can mine the lithium, refine it in Nigeria, produce the EV cars there, and sell them to consumers locally,” Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said Monday. “It’s a complete value chain ready to be exploited,” he said. Nigeria has significant lithium deposits in Nasaraw

Foreign Affairs June 4, 2024

Daewoo Engineering & Construction’s Chairman Jung Won-ju, who doubles as chairman of Herald Media Group, met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Sunday to discuss measures to expand South Korean construction companies into Africa and to strengthen strategic cooperation with each other. “Daewoo E&C has conducted around 280 projects in Africa worth $32 billion. ... We have recently finished the construction of the Botswana -Zambia bridge,” said Jung. “Da

Social Affairs June 3, 2024

The Turkmenistan Embassy in Seoul honored Magtymguly Fragi, a prominent Turkmen poet and philosopher, celebrating the 300th anniversary of his birth on May 14. Hosting a conference and exhibition, the embassy showcased Fragi‘s profound impact on Turkmen cultural heritage. Delivering remarks at the event, Turkmenistan Ambassador to Korea Begench Durdyyev heralded the poet and philosopher as a beacon of Turkmen literary tradition and philosophy, who shaped cultural discourse. Turkmenistan ha

Foreign Affairs May 28, 2024

Indonesian leader Joko Widodo has asked his administration to learn from the South Korean government's drive to bolster the creative economy as part of the Southeast Asian country's effort to pursue its future growth engine, according to an Indonesian Cabinet member. "President Joko Widodo has tasked us with emulating the Korean government's approach to bolster the creative industry," said Sandiaga Uno, Indonesian minister for tourism and creative economy in a recent int

Foreign Affairs May 27, 2024