Kazakhstan will push forward in developing renewable energy sources as part of the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy, Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin has reaffirmed. Chairing a meeting of the Council for the Improvement of the Investment Climate on Friday, Mamin reaffirmed the plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Under the plans, the country plans to increase use of renewables to account for 15 percent of its energy use from the current 3 percent by 2030 and to plant

 President Moon Jae-in stressed Wednesday that the alliance between South Korea and the United States serves as a key pillar in maintaining peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. At a dinner reception celebrating the bilateral alliance in Seoul, Moon said that the alliance served as the foundation for "South Korea's security and diplomacy" while describing it as the "linchpin of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia." M

The Indonesian Embassy has cohosted the Kriuk Cooking Competition to give South Koreans and local Indonesians a chance to demonstrate their skills with noodles. The competition is an example of how cooking can unite the minds and hearts of both Indonesians and South Koreans, the Indonesian Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires Zelda Wulan Kartika said. The participants used instant noodles, a popular food among students in Indonesia and Korea, as the main ingredient. ASEAN Culture House Di

HONORING SERVICE The Bulgaria Embassy in Seoul honors Jeong Jin-kyu, former ambassador of Korea to Bulgaria, with the Order of the Madara Horseman of the First Degree, the highest Bulgarian award conferred to foreign diplomats, at a reception at the embassy on Nov. 24. Bulgarian Ambassador to Korea Petko Draganov applauded Ambassador Jeong’s outstanding contribution to the development of bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Korea on behalf of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. (Bulgari

The Australian state of Queensland marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of its office in Seoul with an official reception on Nov. 24. The reception was attended by Australian Ambassador to Korea Catherine Raper, the Gyeonggi provincial government ambassador, Kim Young-jun, and over 50 dignitaries and members of the local business community, at the Millennium Hilton Seoul.  Cameron Dick, Queensland’s treasurer and minister for trade and investment, said Korea and Queensla

Intel, Bayer and others have established and increased operations in Costa Rica, trusting its political, social and economic stability, but Korean companies are only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the possibilities in Costa Rica, the country’s President Carlos Alvarado Quesada said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Nov. 24. Alvarado encouraged Korean companies to make the most of key opportunities in aerospace, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, transnational servic

Seoul in talks toward recognizing EU Digital COVID Certificate as pressure grows to accept proof of vaccination overseas from foreign residents

Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) will open an office in Costa Rica, as part of an agreement reached Monday.  The agreement was signed following a meeting between Costa Rican delegation led by President Carlos Alvarado Quesada and GGGI President Chair Ban Ki-moon and GGGI Director-General Frank Rijsberman. “With the host country agreement and a new country office in San Jose, I hope GGGI can help Costa Rica to do more in-country and share Costa Rica’s experience with other

The Korea Herald interviewed trade counselors representing ASEAN member countries at the G-Star 2021 exhibition in Busan.

The climate crisis is one that the world must respond to quickly and in a concerted manner, Italian Ambassador Federico Failla said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday, emphasizing food sustainability ahead of the sixth World Week of Italian Cuisine, which runs Nov. 22-28. Failla said the week’s theme is food sustainability from a traditional perspective of Italian cuisine, because food culture is deeply rooted in tradition. The World Week of Italian Cuisine is an initiativ

One of the key issues on the international agenda is Afghanistan today after the Taliban came to power. It is a central topic of the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization heads of state summit held Sept. 17, 2021, in Dushanbe. Most SCO states share a common border with Afghanistan and directly feel the negative consequences of the unfolding crisis. Achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan is one of the main security goals in the SCO region. The seriousness of the issue and high degree of

The Peruvian Embassy hosted a seminar on Climate and Investment Opportunities in Peru on Nov. 11 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Central Seoul. The seminar presented major infrastructure investment projects that Peru offers to public and private companies in Korea. The seminar was held as part of Peruvian government’s efforts to attract companies and investment to Peru. This year’s seminar aimed to introduce Peru government’s foreign direct investment policies and existing fac

The Pig Breeders Product Organization (OPAS) is to showcase three of its ready-to-eat products -- bacon tenderloin, bacon tenderloin with herbs and pulled pork -- at Coex Food Week 2021, to be held Nov. 24-27. “Easy to eat” recipes are also to be presented with useful Italian pork product information. OPAS is the largest product organization in Italy, representing 12 percent of Italian pig farming, where they are able to breed heavy and medium-sized pigs by planning and diversify

GWANGJU -- South Korea’s state-run energy firm, which announced last week a complete exit from coal by 2050, is headed in the right direction, says World Energy Council Secretary-General Angela Wilkinson. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2021 BIXPO energy forum hosted by Korea Electric Power Corp. in Gwangju, Wilkinson said the company’s “Zero for Green” carbon neutrality plan was a symbolic move. “Making public commitments together is a highly symbolic act, it&r

The South African Embassy and Interpark Mall is co-hosting a South African promotion week through Nov. 11-17, showcasing South African products currently available in Korea including Rugani carrot juice, Ceres juice, Renewallife rooibos tea and Bio-Oil, amongst others. According to the South African ambassador to Korea, Zenani Dlamini, Korea has a diversified economy that has invested significantly in the development of innovation and technology. “Platforms of this nature afford South A