The ASEAN-Korea Center organized a tourism capacity-building workshop in the Philippines’ archipelagic province of Palawan on Friday, gathering industry experts to discuss raising tourism competitiveness of the region replete with rare natural reserves. Some 100 Filipino and Korean professionals from both public and private sectors participated in the event held in the popular tourist region, home to pristine natural attractions, national parks as well as vibrant flora and fauna. They discussed

As North Korea strives to reform its economy and lure foreign investments, Poland -- a former communist nation that has successfully transformed into a democracy and market economy -- can share its experience of transition into a rising economic heavyweight in Europe, said the country’s top envoy to Korea in an interview.“Everything that helped us leave communism was worthwhile,” Polish Ambassador Piotr Ostaszewski told The Korea Herald. “On the other hand, in 1989 there was no alternative. The

The United Arab Emirates and Republic of Korea established diplomatic ties in 1980. This was followed by the opening of embassies in each other’s countries. Since then, the two nations have maintained vibrant cooperation in various fields. This was enhanced by exchanges of visits involving high-ranking government officials and trade delegations, who signed bilateral agreements to strengthen the ties. In 2009, the two countries took a step forward by elevating their relationship to a “strategic p

Speaking at a public event on National Liberation Day in Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in surprised many by making a reference to the European Coal and Steel Community, which was created by six European countries in 1951. It is not often that a Korean president publicly mentions the European institution as a model for inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation. Moon, however, was spot on. Europe’s Coal and Steel Community, indeed, can be an ideal template for bringing about reconciliat

Ten years ago, on the night of Aug. 7-8, 2008, the government of Georgia under former President Mikheil Saakashvili breached the agreement on a peaceful settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict by launching a full-scale military operation against South Ossetia.Georgia’s aggression against Tskhinval, which has been universally recognized as a party to the conflict, had not been provoked in any way. Under the 1992 agreement signed between Russia and Georgia in Sochi, security in South Ossetia

The ASEAN-Korea Center donated 3 million won ($2,650) to the Embassy of Lao People’s Democratic Republic on Aug. 6 to aid flood recovery efforts from a dam collapse on July 23.　The center’s Secretary-General Lee Hyuk delivered the donation to Laos Ambassador to Korea Khamsouay Keodalavong, and expressed his sympathy and wish for a speedy rehabilitation of the disaster-stricken areas in the Southeast Asian country. “The Korean government and people are all united in helping Lao people in their st

The ASEAN-Korea Center, working in partnership with the Science and Technology Policy Institute, Seoul Metropolitan Government and Korea Entrepreneurship Foundation, is welcoming innovative ideas for entrepreneurship as part of the inaugural ASEAN-Korea Startup Idea Competition from Aug. 10 through Sept. 10. Applicants -- either individually or in groups of up to three -- can submit creative ideas for improving the lives of people from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Korea. Each t

The Pakistani Embassy, in collaboration with the Korean government and Pakistan Business Association Korea, held its Azadi Mela national day reception Sunday in Seoul, commemorating 71 years of independence.While Pakistan celebrates its liberation from the British Raj and Hindu dominion on Aug. 14, Korea remembers its independence from colonial Japan on Aug. 15. The two countries share experiences of colonialism, emancipation and partition, which have inspired their postwar international engagem

The Indian Embassy in Seoul will organize the fourth annual installment of Sarang, a cultural festival introducing India’s colorful and varied heritage, at venues across Korea in September. Sarang started as a small event in 2015, and has since grown in size and popularity, according to the embassy. It has brought art forms from throughout India to the Korean public. Last year, which marked the 70th anniversary of India’s independence, saw sold-out performances of Indian classical music for the

Ecuadorian Minister of Industries and Productivity Eva Garcia Fabre visited Korea last week to strengthen bilateral commercial ties and introduce investment opportunities in Ecuador. She came at the invitation of the Korea Foundation -- a public diplomacy institution under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- as part of its cooperation program with Central and South American countries.The bureaucrat had meetings with her Korean counterparts in government and the private sector, including the Korea

New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner on Friday visited Skyline Luge Tongyeong, an entertainment facility in South Gyeongsang Province owned by a New Zealand company, on his first official tour to the region.The Skyline Luge Tongyeong development is the biggest investment in Korea to date by Skyline Enterprises, a Kiwi company with a diversified portfolio and operating predominantly in leisure and entertainment fields in New Zealand and overseas. The firm plans to invest a further 10 bil

Georgia urges Russia to respect its territorial integrity and sovereignty from violations in the occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, stressed the country’s top diplomat on the 10th anniversary of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. In an exclusive interview with The Korea Herald, Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani said that the issues were of international significance, and deserve the attention of the international community, including South Korea.Highlighting Tbilisi’s notable ach

Against an onslaught of protectionism, the five major world emerging economies that comprise BRICS are strengthening cooperation in defense of multilateralism and free trade, and further preparing for the “fourth industrial revolution,” according to South Africa’s top envoy to Korea.South Africa assumed the rotating annual presidency of BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- on Jan. 1 this year, which lasts through Dec. 31. It hosted the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg from

In the 1975 book “Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison” by Michel Foucault, the late philosopher builds on Jeremy Bentham’s concept of the panopticon -- a type of institutional building for social control, where prisoners are surveilled by a watchman at the center -- as a disciplinary tool of the modern state machinery. In the course of its ruthless imperial expansion and oppression, Japan constructed a long chain of panopticon-shaped penitentiaries across the Korean Peninsula from the

Egypt has undertaken reforms to become an advanced economy interwoven with the global economy, the country’s top envoy to Korea said last week.“Egyptians under the leadership of President Abdel-Fattah el Sissi have been embarking on an ambitious economic program to transform the country into a fully-fledged, dynamic economy,” said Egyptian Ambassador to Korea Hazem Fahmy at the embassy on Wednesday on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. “We have managed in a very sho

After Colombia and Korea entered a free trade agreement in 2016, bilateral commercial volume topped $1.25 billion last year, according to Colombia’s top envoy to Korea, who added that his country hoped to export some $570 million of goods to Korea this year. With a population of 50 million -- the third-largest in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico -- Colombia is a growing economy with a young, well-educated and rising middle class.Colombia is part of a regional economic bloc, the Pacific Alli

In Korea, where things tend to get done rather quickly, the three-year tenure of former Indian Ambassador to Korea Vikram Doraiswami went like lightning. Soon after starting his ambassadorship here in April 2015, Doraiswami helped prepare the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Korea in May of that year, laying the groundwork for the success of New Delhi’s “Act East” policy -- a core foreign policy initiative to deepen India’s engagement with East Asia.His tenure ended with the equal

Caption: Members of the Social Cooperative of Korean Small and Medium Business Federation pose with Ethiopian Ambassador Shiferaw Jarso (center) after a meeting at the Ethiopian Embassy in Seoul. (Social Cooperative of Korean Small and Medium Business Federation)The Social Cooperative of Korean Small and Medium Business Federation visited the Ethiopian Embassy on Monday to discuss ways to promote and vitalize commercial exchanges between Ethiopia and Korea.The organization is the first cooperati

Grand prize-winning entry “View Over Seoul,” by Romanian Embassy Executive Director Daniel Iordan Teodorescu (Daniel Iordan Teodorescu)The Corea Image Communication Institute winnowed a list of winners for the second “Korea Through the Lens, Video and Photography” contest last week. The grand prize went to Executive Director Daniel Iordan Teodorescu at the Romanian Embassy, for his shot of Seoul’s panoramic nightscape titled “View Over Seoul.” He will be awarded Incheon-Paris round-trip business

The Turkish Embassy held a fashion show Thursday at Hotel Shilla in Seoul, showcasing the country’s colorful wearables and embroideries worn by student models. The clothes were designed by Sule Aydan, the principal at the Izmir Olgunlasma Institute. “We enjoy excellent political relations,” Turkish Ambassador to Korea Ersin Ercin told The Korea Herald, adding that cultural cooperation was increasingly a critical component of the bilateral relations and gave a substantial boost to commercial ties