Chung calls for closer ties with Korea’s second-largest trading blocEven though South Korea has seen its economy rapidly growing over the past several decades, its GDP accounts for only about 1.7 percent of the world’s GDP.Should Korea meaningfully raise its voice and power in the international community, the GDP ratio of Korea could be at least 3 percent ― and an integrated Association of Southeast Asian Nations will play a pivotal role in helping Korea reach that goal, said Chung Hae-moon, sec

Putin’s return to presidency may strengthen Moscow’s engagement with two KoreasIn his phone conversation with President Lee Myung-bak days after being reelected Russian president on March 4, Vladimir Putin pledged to help improve inter-Korean ties and discussed a deal for Russia to pipe natural gas to South Korea through North Korea.Putin was quoted by aides to Lee as saying he would “pay attention” to the project to build a gas pipeline passing through the three nations.The remark reflected th

The Czech deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs met the main Korean investors in his country’s economy while in Seoul last week. Karel Schwarzenberg met representatives from Hyundai Motor Company, Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, Hanwha and GS Caltex while in Korea to attend the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. He also met representatives from Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, as well as Korean Air, which has been operating direct flights from Incheon to Prague four

Australia has appointed two honorary ambassadors to promote its participation in the 2012 Yeosu Expo in Korea. The Australian government held an event at the Sydney Opera House to appoint swimmer Ian Thorpe and Korean-born Australian fashion designer Bae Yeo-jin as honorary ambassadors for the international event to run from May 12 to Aug. 12 this year. Bae kicked off her honorary ambassadorship by presenting awards to winners of a uniform design competition that had taken place in Sydney. Cheri

The finer details may have been hidden from all except those fluent in both Persian and Korean, but it didn’t take long to understand what was happening. With actors on one side of the stage speaking Iran’s official language, and actors on the other side speaking Korean while dressed in the garb of Korea’s bygone times, it soon became clear that this was the story of how the two peoples first came into contact. The dramatic performance, backed by Iranian musicians playing traditional Persian ins

British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg may have dined with scores of world leaders at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit last week, but the following evening he enjoyed a more remarkable meal with five young North Korean defectors. Clegg said the dinner with North Korean students at a restaurant in Insa-dong was the most moving part of his trip. “The most powerful memory for me will be the dinner with five young North Koreans who fled from North Korea through various routes to make their homes

Ambassadors’ wives are showcasing their snapshots of Korea at a special exhibition in Seoul. The spouses of envoys posted here are sharing 52 pictures taken by them and their predecessors at the Raemian Gallery until April 6.Maria Ligaya Fujita, who is married to the Brazilian ambassador, was inspired to start the project after a Brazilian photography exhibition in Seoul last September. She decided to organize another exhibition to show Koreans the images that diplomats show their families and f