The Indonesian Embassy held a seminar in early March to woo Korean investments into the country’s burgeoning economy, which has seen sweeping reforms in recent months.Under the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Indonesia has undertaken a series of stimulus measures, aimed at boosting industrial competitiveness through deregulation, facilitating infrastructure projects and strengthening law enforcement.The government recently overhauled its “negative investment list” -- a catalog

A delegation of Ethiopian environment officials came to Korea in early March to share knowledge and experience in forest management and sustainable development. Shiferaw Teklemariam, Ethiopian minister of environment, forest and climate change, told The Korea Herald that his team was interested in Korea’s policies, institutions and governance, and how they were practically implemented.Amid Ethiopia’s push to become an industrializing nation, forestry is one of the four pillars of development und

Australian and South Korean artists were recognized Feb. 16 at the opening of the inaugural “Cultural Conversations Project” exhibition. Hosted by Gallery LVS, the opening welcomed the works of 14 artists across Australia and South Korea, with artists Yoon Jin-sup, Yun Suk-nam, Kim Ku-lim and Lee Kun-yong in attendance.The project, conducted by the Australian Centre for Oral History, is an ongoing history archive, giving insight into the lives and works of contemporary Australian and Korean arti

EDUCATION COLLABORATION -- Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Marmazov (right) and Korean Deputy Prime Minister Lee Joon-sik held talks on Feb. 19 on facilitating educational cooperation between Ukraine and Korea, with plans to sign memorandums of understanding between their education ministries. Marmazov noted contributions by the Ukrainian studies department of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, where some 80 students are enrolled, while Lee acknowledged Ukraine’s visa liberalization as sm

The ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul published a book in late February to introduce the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to Korea and highlight the region’s integrative achievements. The book, titled “ASEAN Community, at the Heart of Asia,” was written by Korea’s leading experts on Southeast Asia and summarizes progress made since the association’s establishment in 1967 to its launch of a community at the end of last year.Under the banner “One vision, one identity and one community,” the new bo

The Bulgarian embassy last week marked the country’s Liberation Day amid deepening ties with Korea that reached a “comprehensive and future-oriented partnership” last year. The holiday celebrates the national independence of 1878 from the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Bulgaria for over 500 years. The new alliance, announced in a joint presidential declaration during the state visit of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev to Seoul last May, covers comprehensive areas including political dialogue, t

The Dominican Republic, an island nation in the heart of the Caribbean, celebrated its 172nd anniversary of national independence from Haiti and burgeoning ties with Korea at a reception in late February. At Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Feb. 26, Dominican Ambassador Grecia Fiordalicia Pichardo highlighted that her country has achieved political and social stability over the years, as well as 7 percent economic growth last year. “The key to our sustained economic growth lies in our administration’s pr

The Nepalese embassy last week held a seminar to inform the public on the post-earthquake situation and investment potentials in water resources in Nepal. Nepal, a landlocked country between China and India on the Himalayan Mountains, has sizeable water resources. It has the third largest ice deposits and the second largest inland water deposits in the world. Nepal drains billions of cubic meters of fresh water annually from its more than 6,000 rivers and rivulets, which travel downstream to cou

French Minister of Urban Affairs, Youth and Sport Patrick Kanner, visited Seoul in mid-February to bolster cooperation for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in Korea. Kanner, who was accompanied by a delegation of French companies -- Poma, GL Events, Compagnie des Alpes, Cluster Montagne, Fusalp -- met Korean athletes and sports institutions in tennis, taekwondo and mountain climbing during a reception at the French Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 19.France has hosted the Winter Olympic Games i

Amid mounting international sanctions and slowing Chinese growth, North Korea’s economy will tread a tough road this year and beyond, experts noted in early February. North Korea, where markets have largely supplanted the planned economy, has relied extensively on exporting coal and iron to China and extracting earnings from laborers abroad. Since its golden days of the early 1970s, when the country’s gross domestic product per capita was around $3,000, the communist state’s allocative economy h

The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Kuwait. – Ed. Modern KuwaitAs the bitterly cold winter nears its end to give way to the warm spring bloom, the people of the State of Kuwait work busily with excitement in preparation for the nation’s joyous 55th National Day on Feb. 25 and the 25th anniversary of Liberation Day the following day, Feb. 26.It is my great pleasure and honor to extend warmest greetings to the people and the government of the Republic of Korea. I am most gratef

Korean Admiral Jung Ho-sub was conferred Indonesia’s highest naval award, Bintang Jalasena Utama, in a ceremony at the embassy in Seoul last week. In the presence of diplomatic and naval officers of both countries, Indonesian Ambassador John Prasetio honored the Korean chief of naval operations for his contributions to enhancing bilateral naval ties through capacity building, technical training and arms procurement. Some of Jung’s achievements include facilitating naval academy exchange between

The Iranian Embassy last week celebrated the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution as well as the recent resolution of the country’s nuclear agreement, opening the doors for cooperation with Korea. In 1979, Iranians led a series of demonstrations to unseat the dictatorial Pahlavi dynasty and established an Islamic Republic based on a modern culture and religious democracy, said Iranian Ambassador to Korea Hassan Taherian at a reception in Seoul. Particularly this year, he added, the anniver