The ASEAN-Korea Center has organized various cultural events throughout May and June, which have been designated as ASEAN Months to mark the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year. To uplift and strengthen bilateral relations between ASEAN and the Republic of Korea -- strategic partners since 2010 -- this year has been named the ASEAN-ROK Cultural Exchange Year. The intergovernmental organization will host academic lectures on the regional bloc’s diverse culture

The Polish Embassy last week marked the birth of the country’s modern Constitution, the second of its kind in the world following the US Constitution of 1787.On every May 3 in Poland, people celebrate the creation of the supreme law in 1791, which has been credited with ushering in modern democracy and national development in the Central European country. Next year will be the centenary of Poland’s independence and in 2019, Poland and Korea will mark 30 years of diplomatic relations. “Our Polish

When Norway voted for the second time not to join the European Union through a referendum in 1994, the country had just brokered the Oslo peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians and hosted the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Confidence was in the air, recalled Norwegian Ambassador to Korea Jan Grevstad. Norway, an affluent, benevolent and confident country always “on the doorstep” of the EU, but adroitly outside, had since moved on without regrets, the envoy said in an interview.“T

So, it’s President Moon. Last week’s presidential by-election in South Korea picked President Moon Jae-in of the liberal Democratic Party as the person to lead the country for the next five years. The 8-month political scandal and the lack of national leadership have left the country in tatters. And now everything has been dumped on his lap.So, over the next several weeks he should make decisions for a plethora of issues, or at least confirm where his government stands on them -- not as a matter

Credit ratings agency Moody’s maintained a negative outlook on the South Korean banking industry, citing worsening business environment amid weak domestic consumer sentiment and banks’ asset quality.Sophia Lee, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody’s, said in a report that the change in administration under President Moon Jae-in brings uncertainty around policy direction on household debt and corporate restructuring, which weighs on the banks’ operating enviro

The number of atopic dermatitis patients in South Korea tends to peak in May partly due to fine and yellow dust, a state-run health agency said Tuesday.According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of people who visited hospital for atopic eczema was the highest in May as of 2015, at about 150,000 patients. The figure is 27 percent higher than November, the month with the fewest atopic patients. (123RF)Various factors such as dry weather, pollen, fine dust and yello

South Korea and China appear to be moving toward mending their strained ties over the installation of a US missile defense system here as exchanges and contacts in diverse areas have apparently been gaining traction since the inauguration of liberal President Moon Jae-in, experts said Tuesday.The recently wrapped-up international forum hosted by China, in particular, served as a "good starter" for the two Asian neighbors' push to keep their ties back on track and maintain a unified approach to t

Hit by the prolonged slump, South Korean shipbuilders and related businesses cut 8,670 or 14.8 percent of their workforce last year, data by industry tracker Chaebul.com showed Tuesday.The data based on 2016 business reports from 1,831 listed firms showed that their combined workforce reached 1.51 million at the end of last year, down 5,915, or 0.4 percent, from a year ago.Samsung Group slashed part of its workers as its flagship Samsung Electronics and other major subsidiaries implemented large

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday met with his special envoys and emphasized the need to normalize diplomatic affairs. “The new government inherited grave diplomatic and security circumstances, and summit diplomacy has been put on hold for more than six months. Sending the special envoys is the beginning of summit diplomacy,” Moon was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun following the president’s meeting with the envoys.President Moon Jae-in heads for a lunch meeting with his

President Moon Jae-in’s plan to draw up a special budget to hire more teachers, firefighters and policemen could mark the beginning of the end of a honeymoon between the newly minted liberal leader and the National Assembly. Following up on Moon’s directive on jobs policies, his first since taking office last week, the Cabinet on Tuesday approved a set of plans to kick off a jobs creation committee. The Finance Ministry is also reviewing the possibility of a supplementary budget of 10 trillion w