The Global Green Growth Institute is ready to take a new leap forward as an international organization by securing credibility, doubling its workforce and courting several more donor countries over the next two years, its new chairman told The Korea Herald.The Seoul-based think tank was established in 2010 by the Korean government to help countries share their experiences and technological expertise for environment-friendly development. Sixteen countries signed a convention for its status upgrad

Curiosity, NASA’s unmanned vehicle currently exploring Mars, could hardly be more aptly named. The rover’s $2.5 billion mission is testament to the fact that, even in tough economic times, man has an insatiable desire to explore the unknown. After successfully touching down on the Red Planet on Aug. 6, Curiosity made its first short test drive on Mars’ surface on Wednesday. Images transmitted back to Earth show vast plains of rusty, gravelly landscape, liberally punctuated by valleys and mountai

Korea has named a former ambassador to the Netherlands and an expert of international law to an envoy tasked with resolving a sensitive issue with Japan over aging Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Tokyo’s World War II soldiers, an official said Thursday.Ambassador Kim Young-won, 60, replaced Choi Suk-inn, who moved on to become the ambassador to Azerbaijan as part of the foreign ministry’s regular reshuffle, the ministry official said.“Given his extensive knowledge and experiences as

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Wednesday appointed 17 new ambassadors and consul generals to lead diplomatic missions to 20 nations and two international organizations. The new 17 ambassadors include former Deputy Minister for FTA Choi Seok-young and former First Vice Foreign Minister Park Suk-hwan. Choi will now serve as the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the U.N. Secretariat and International Organizations in Geneva, while Park will lead the embassy to the U.K.In

South Korea on Tuesday dismissed Japan’s formal proposal for an international litigation over the sovereignty of Dokdo islets as Tokyo is pondering options to retaliate against what it considers a diplomatic offense by President Lee Myung-bak.Ohtsuki Kotaro, a counselor at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, delivered to the Korean Foreign Ministry a diplomatic document detailing a proposal to file the Dokdo case with the International Court of Justice. Tokyo’s Cabinet endorsed the decision at a meet

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan met with Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla Miranda on Monday to discuss ways to expand economic cooperation and other technological and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Chinchilla arrived here on Sunday on invitation from President Lee Myung-bak. She is the first Costa Rican president to visit Seoul in 11 years. The two leaders are scheduled for summit talks on Tuesday. Chinchilla received an honorary citizenship from Seoul City after meeting with

Amid spiraling tension, South Korea is considering reasserting its ownership of Dokdo in response to the Japanese prime minister’s letter which expressed regret about President Lee Myung-bak’s recent trip to the islets, Seoul officials said Sunday.Officials here have been grappling with how to respond to the dispatch delivered via the Korean Embassy in Tokyo on Friday. Yoshihiko Noda also expressed regret about Lee’s calls for Emperor Akihito’s apology for Japan’s colonial atrocities.  The unpre

Holed up the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been granted asylum, Julian Assange is as defiant as ever.Sweden wants to question him about accusations that he sexually assaulted two women. Assange denies the charges and argues they are a pretext for further extradition to the U.S., where he would be persecuted.But after appeals against extradition to Sweden failed, he broke bail to seek asylum.It is ironic, given the nature of his work, that he is avoiding extradition to a country rank

The Singaporean Embassy celebrated its National Day while reflecting on its growing diplomatic relations with Korea, in Seoul on Tuesday.The event marked the country’s 47th anniversary of independence from Malaysia and the 37th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Korea.“I am pleased to say that Singapore’s bilateral relations with the Republic of Korea are excellent, anchored by the many high-level visits from both sides,” said Singaporean Ambassador Peter Tan. In March, Prime Minister Lee

The Indian Embassy celebrated its independence day in Seoul on Wednesday for its 7,500-strong expatriate community.Indian Ambassador Vishnu Prakash commemorated the event by delivering the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee’s address to the nation, after raising the nation’s flag to mark its 66th Independence Day.“Two decades of steady economic reforms have contributed to improvement in average income and consumption levels in both rural and urban areas,” said Mukerjee, as quoted by Prakash. “We