The World Green Economy Organization launched the Smart and Sustainable City Platform last week, a forum aimed at devising and spreading knowledge about solutions promoting environment-friendly urban development. The launch event brought together members from the organization, Global Green Growth Institute and Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, among others. The WGEO was launched in October last year by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister

As some nations race to the bottom of protectionism, Canada is rising to the top of economic integration and technological innovation by harnessing strategic partnerships worldwide, including the one with Korea, according to the country’s international trade minister. Francois-Philippe Champagne, who has helmed the ministry of international trade since January, stressed that fostering comprehensive partnerships between Canada and Korea was essential to ensuring the sustainability of businesses a

Following the peace agreement with armed guerilla group FARC, Colombia has entered an environment of security and stability ideal for investors, according to the country’s trade minister. In an interview with The Korea Herald last week, Colombian minister of trade, industry and tourism, Maria Claudia Lacouture, highlighted the freshly available opportunities in infrastructure, agriculture, housing, education and tourism in Colombia.As the Latin American country is briskly moving ahead to secure

A South Korean woman in her 30s has gone missing in Laos while traveling alone in the country's popular waterfall area, the foreign ministry here said Monday. The woman, whose name was not given by the ministry, went to see the Kuang Si Waterfalls in Laos' Luang Prabang region on May 22 before going missing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The hotel she was staying at reported her disappearance to the police after she did not show up.In collaboration with the Laos police, the South Korean

The South Korean government on Monday acknowledged the widespread public disapproval of the controversial deal to end bilateral feuds over Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women and expressed hopes to resolve the issue through joint efforts."The government wishes to overcome the problem wisely through joint efforts between South Korea and Japan while accepting the reality that the majority of our public do not approve of the comfort women agreement sentimentally," the Ministry of For

NEW YORK -- The office of UN Secretary-General Antonia Guterres on Sunday rejected Japan's claim that he expressed support for a 2015 deal reached between Seoul and Tokyo over the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.According to press reports, Japan's Foreign Ministry made the claim that Guterres backed the deal, which is deeply unpopular in South Korea, when he met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Italy on Saturday on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of Seven industrialized

Senior officials of South Korea and the United Nations will meet in Seoul this week to discuss a wide range of cooperative issues including the growing North Korea nuclear threat, the ministry said Sunday. (Yonhap)The meeting will be held on Monday between Lee Jang-keun, who is in charge of the ministry's international organizations bureau, and Miroslav Jenca of the UN Department of Political Affairs, according to the ministry. This marks their first policy dialogue in which both are expected to

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gueterres has expressed his support for a deal between South Korea and Japan over wartime sex slaves, Japanese news media said Sunday, despite controversy surrounding the agreement that has worsened bilateral ties. In his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G-7 summit Saturday, Guterres said he “supports and welcomes” the 2015 deal designed to resolve dispute over sex slavery, the Kyodo News Agency reported, citing the Japanese Foreign

South Korea's former Ambassador to the US Hyun Hong-choo, noted for his active role in expanding Seoul's diplomatic frontiers in the 1980s-1990s, passed away Saturday. He was 76.The cause of his death is not immediately known. A memorial altar for him is set up at Asan Medical Center in Seoul.Hyun, who served as Seoul's top envoy to the US from 1991-1993, has transcended the fields of politics, diplomacy, academia, government administration and the prosecution with his expertise, experience and

Ecuador President Lenin Moreno has invited President Moon Jae-in to visit his country as he called for an increase in bilateral economic cooperation, Moon's special envoy to Ecuador said Friday.Rep. Park Young-sun of the ruling Democratic Party met with Moreno earlier as a presidential envoy and posted the result of the meeting in her Facebook feed. (Yonhap)"(I) conveyed Moon's handwritten letter to President Moreno in a meeting held after his first (public) event following the inauguration," Pa

While many are keen to find out how President Moon Jae-in’s new “diplomatic approach” to North Korea will take shape, his foreign minister nominee is drawing attention for her hair color. Kang Kyung-wha, a 62-year-old career diplomat set to become the first female foreign minister, arrived Thursday at Incheon Airport with her silver hair perfectly in shape. She was returning here from New York, where she served as a special policy adviser to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. For

It was belatedly disclosed that the Uzbek government requested the South Korean government to arrest about 10 Uzbeks suspected of being members of a terrorist group who had entered the country. According to the National Police Agency on Thursday, the central Asian nation sent the Justice Ministry an official document asking for their arrest and repatriation around October last year.  (Yonhap)The South Korean police immediately kicked off a probe, but found no circumstantial evidence that they ha

Foreign Minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha on Thursday called for humanitarian assistance to North Korea irrespective of the political situation, while stressing the need for stronger sanctions in the event of additional provocations. The former UN diplomat also said she is keen to meet with the victims of the Japanese military’s sexual enslavement during World War II, which has beleaguered relations between the two countries. 　“In fact, I reached out to one of them when I was here on vacation last

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok met with Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj on Wednesday and discussed joint climate change responses as well as ways to enhance ties between the two nations, the mayor’s office said Thursday. “As desertification in Mongolia and China is deepening due to global warming, the world should join hands to tackle the phenomenon and yellow sand that stems from it,” the South Korean mayor said during the meeting, which was held at the Mongolian presidential residence I

South Korea's Justice Ministry said Thursday it has officially received notification from Denmark that the daughter of former President Park Geun-hye's friend dropped the appeal against her extradition order. On Wednesday, Danish prosecutors confirmed that Chung Yoo-ra will be extradited to South Korea as she dropped her appeal to the High Court of Western Denmark regarding a lower court's decision to send her back to Seoul.  In this file photo taken on Jan. 12, 2017, activists perform in front