Turkey and Korea carry on their long history of exchanges, and increasingly cooperate to secure prosperity and a harmonious world order, according to Turkish Ambassador to Korea Ersin Ercin.“Turkey has continued to grow and develop across all fields over the last 95 years. We have emerged as one of the fastest developing nations in the world by the early 21st century,” he said in a speech at the country’s 95th anniversary reception last week in Seoul. “Our hope is that Turkey will reach its long

The Nordic booth at last year's SIWA Bazaar (SIWA)The Seoul International Women’s Association will organize its 56th annual SIWA-Diplomatic Community Bazaar under “Share Culture, Share Love, Share Life” on Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. at Lotte Hotel. The event is one of the largest fundraisers in Seoul, attracting thousands of locals, expats and tourists. Last year, over 30 embassies and several expat organizations, local businesses, sponsors, welfare groups and SIWA volunteers worked tog

Since the Syrian Civil War broke out in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring uprising, Turkey has welcomed more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, offering shelter, food, health care and education. As a result Turkey was the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor last year in terms of the ratio of official humanitarian assistance to national income at 0.85 percent. Ankara’s foreign policy prioritizing humanitarian assistance needs more international recognition and support, the top Turkish envoy to Ko

President Moon Jae-in expressed thanks to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday for sending him some "Modi jackets," a vest-like sleeveless jacket the Indian leader usually dons.Moon uploaded photos of him wearing the jackets in a Twitter posting, saying they "fit great." A captured image of President Moon Jae-in`s Twitter posting expressing thanks to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending him some "Modi jackets." (Yonhap)"This is a Modi jacket modified from a traditional Ind

Egyptian Defense Attache Col. Maged Elwan (second from right) poses at a reception for the 45th anniversary of Egyptian Armed Forces Day on Wednesday. (Joel Lee/The Korea Herald)The Egyptian Embassy in Seoul and its Defense Office marked Egyptian Armed Forces Day on Wednesday. On Oct. 6 each year, Egypt celebrates the October War of 1973, also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War or Yom Kippur War. The war began with the Egyptian Army’s crossing of the Suez Canal as part of Operation Badr, which c

“Our continuing commitment to humanitarianism around the world has given us a profile of an honest broker, with no big self-interest or ambition.”

Before starting his tenure here, Singaporean Ambassador Yip Wei Kiat took a semester learning the Korean language at a university in Seoul four years ago. Now nearing the end of his ambassadorship, he can read and write Korean, even if he is not fully cognizant of the meaning. “King Sejong’s creation of Hangeul is amazing, because it provided opportunities for all Koreans, including the commoners, to learn their own language,” he told The Korea Herald during a tour of the National Hangeul Museum

Iranian Ambassador to Korea Saeed Badamchi Shabestari (Iranian Embassy)New Iranian Ambassador to Korea Saeed Badamchi Shabestari said he will do his utmost to strengthen bilateral ties based on the two nations’ historic friendship, which goes back more than 1,000 years. “Like the Korean saying, ‘A friend who helps in times of difficulty is a true friend,’ we hope that our friendly ties will continue with the support of the Korean people and cooperation,” he told The Korea Herald. “The people of

“Now there is a chance to reshape and rewrite our future under our current government. The answer is ASEAN. Korea and Malaysia are inseparable, just as ASEAN, Malaysia and Korea are inseparable.”

European Union Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiterer and the ambassadors of 28 EU member states issued a joint statement on the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, emphasizing the “unprecedented urgency” of stepping up global efforts to curb climate change. “Climate change is happening and its effects are being felt all over the world,” the EU’s representative mission in Seoul said. “The IPCC’s Special Report on the global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindust

By Spanish Ambassador to Korea Gonzalo OrtizSpain and Korea celebrated the Spanish National Day in Seoul on Oct. 12, followed by another commemoration in Busan on Oct. 15. As ambassador, I addressed the attendees in Spanish, a lingua franca spoken by over 530 million people across 31 countries. The King and Queen of Spain were in Covadonga this year to commemorate the 1,300th anniversary of the victory of Visigoth leader Don Pelayo against Muslim invaders in 718. This historic event gave birth t

Lisbon will remain the host city for the Web Summit technology conference until 2028, according to the Portuguese Embassy and Aicep Portugal Global in Seoul. Under a new 110 million-euro ($127 million) deal that includes a large-scale venue expansion, the company behind the technology conference has come to a new agreement with the Portuguese government.The decision, which was revealed by Web Summit Chief Executive Officer Paddy Cosgrave and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa in early Octob

Members of the Australian Embassy, led by Ambassador James Choi, and the Australian community here took part in a challenging 375-kilometer cycling journey in Korea for three days to promote diversity and multiculturalism.The team of 15 Australian and Korean riders started their campaign at the Unification Observatory in Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, on Oct. 6. They traveled southward along the east coast to the city of Gangneung on the first day, rode over the mountain range of Baekdudaegan th

A poster for the Latin American Film Festival (KOFA)The Latin American Film Festival will be held in Seoul from Tuesday to Sunday for its fourth straight year, showcasing films that unveil the desires and concerns of contemporary Central and South Americans. The embassies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay will each present a movie that highlights its own culture, society and history, including internatio

Philippine Ambassador Raul S. Hernandez speaks at the Migrants Arirang Multicultural Festival in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, from Oct. 5-7. (Philippines Department of Tourism-Korea)The Migrants Arirang Multicultural Festival -- Korea’s largest celebration for foreign residents -- was held in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, from Oct. 5-7, feting Korea’s multiculturalism through art, dance, music and food. This year’s event featured the Philippines as the main host, with numerous Fil