The annual Swiss-Korean Innovation Week kicked off Thursday to showcase emerging technologies and topics such as quantum technology, the metaverse, artificial intelligence, ESG and advanced manufacturing. On the sidelines of the 60th anniversary of South Korea-Switzerland diplomatic relations, the event aims to create an innovative environment through exhibitions, seminars, and workshops to discuss the age of quantum technology. Starting with the exhibition "Travel Across Boundaries,"

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Nargiza Kamalova, 23, believes the constitutional referendum held Sunday will build a foundation for a "New Uzbekistan," a prosperous country with a stable economy and a better social safety net. "A referendum will help our country prosper," said Kamalova, who was on election duty on Sunday at polling station no. 747. "It will help Uzbekistan achieve a bright future." O'tkir, 42, said he was voting for the future of his child. "I am

Italian Ambassador to Korea Federico Failla stressed the importance of gastronomic tradition in the history of civilization while describing the most recent trends in Italian food technology at a forum hosted by The Korea Herald last month. At the Global Business Forum held in Seoul on April 19, the ambassador said such gastronomical innovation could play a significant role in further fostering Italy-Korea bilateral relations. Failla has been the top Italian envoy to Seoul since 2019. Prior to c

By Sanjay Kumar Korea Herald correspondent TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev shared visions, policies, and reforms supportive of foreign investors at the Tashkent International Investment Forum on Thursday. Started last year under the agenda of enhancing Central Asia’s role in the international investment market, the forum facilitated a solid package of firm contracts and investment agreements worth $7.8 billion. Participating parties reached agreements and implemen

Ukraine is hoping for South Korea's defense support in its fight against Russia, said the Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul on Monday. The comments came after President Yoon Suk Yeol said that South Korea could provide aid beyond humanitarian or financial support if Ukraine comes under large-scale attacks against civilians in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday. Korea can support Ukraine by providing state-of-the-art Korean-made defense equipment, said the embassy. "The continuation of tim

Pakistan's ambassador to Korea shared ideas to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Pakistan-Korea relations this year in a meeting with Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young. During his courtesy visit to The Korea Herald, Nabeel Munir suggested to enhance media cooperation through content exchange, facilitate business at many levels and activate people-to-people ties through tourism. Pakistan established diplomatic relations with South Korea in November 1983. Korean companies have made huge inves

The British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks shared his life in North Korea, where he previously served as a foreign ambassador from 2018 to 2021, at a forum in Seoul on Wednesday. At the Korea Safety Leaders Forum, Crooks showcased photographs of architecture, modern taxis and traditional North Korean liquors that he took in 2019. He witnessed a huge gap between Pyongyang and the countryside in terms of people’s lifestyles, standards of living and infrastructure. "Bullock carts are v

Revisiting the trade, friendship and shipping treaty signed between the then German Empire and Joseon Kingdom on Nov. 26, 1883, German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel said Germany and Korea have developed a close partnership and trustful friendship in the 140 years since. The two countries established consular relations in 1954 and upgraded to full diplomatic relations in 1957. "A unique bond between German and Korean societies is the shared experience of being a divided nation,&qu

Trade ties between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc and South Korea have been rapidly developing in recent years, but they need to advance to the next step, particularly in the area of supply chain, digital trade and climate change, according to experts at a roundtable held last week in Seoul. The roundtable hosted by the ASEAN-Korea Center and the Korea Institute of International Economic Policy suggested future directions to benefit businesspeople and stakeholders with the ASEAN

The economic partnership between Poland and Korea is gaining momentum, said Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski at the Global Business Forum hosted by The Korea Herald on April 5. "Poland shares many similarities with Korea in their histories, and both countries realize how to cooperate so as never to have a repetition in history," he said. Ostaszewski highlighted recent partnerships in infrastructure, nuclear energy and defense projects. He emphasized the strategic partnershi

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna reiterates French government priorities and solidarity with Korea during a reception aboard Prairial, the French Navy's Floreal-class frigate docked in Incheon on Saturday. The Floreal-class frigate is the French Navy's light surveillance warship, designed after the end of the Cold War in 1989.

The Rwandan Embassy in Seoul marked the 29th anniversary of a genocide that killed more than one million people, mostly Tutsi and moderate Hutu, among others. Tutsi and Hutus are ethnic groups from the African Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes region encompasses Burundi, Rwanda, northeastern Congo, Uganda, and northwestern Kenya and Tanzania. On April 7, the embassy gathered more than 200 people at the War Memorial of Korea to participate in Kwibuka29. "Kwibuka" means to remember in

Indian Ambassador to South Korea Amit Kumar said Wednesday that collaboration with Korea on India's digital transformation would create synergy, highlighting his country's emergence as the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world. India has gone through a vast digital transformation in banking, health, finance and governance, along with the rise of startups in the country. India has more than 100 unicorns valued at $332 billion, and is ranked third globally in the number of unicorn

Constitutional reform in Uzbekistan would pave the way for a "New Uzbekistan," said Uzbek Ambassador to Korea Vitaliy Fen in a recent interaction with The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young. Uzbekistan is holding a constitutional referendum on April 30. Fen said that the referendum strengthens the foundations of social, democratic and legal statehood and upholds human rights to achieve liberalization across all spheres of life. "The life and outlook of Uzbek people are to change,&quo

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (front row, center) attended the Iftar dinner hosted by Indonesian Ambassador Gandi Sulistiyanto (front row, fourth from right) in Yeouido, Seoul, last Wednesday. Iftar is a meal taken by Muslims at sunset to break the daily fast during Ramadan. Marsudi was in Seoul to attend the 2nd Summit for Democracy, the Indo-Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Meeting and the 4th Indonesia-Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM). The dinner was followed by an informal

UK Export Finance, an export credit agency of the UK government, has set up a new position to facilitate financing deals with South Korean businesses, said the British Embassy in Seoul in a press statement Tuesday. The international export finance executive for South Korea would act as a dedicated, on-the-ground specialist within the British Embassy in Seoul, working closely with major UK government departments to showcase the expertise, capability, and profile of UK businesses, it added. The ne

Bangladesh Ambassador to Korea Delwar Hossain said the country has progressed economically and socially as its Seoul embassy celebrated its 52nd Independence Day on Monday. Bangladesh celebrates this day every year on March 26 to commemorate its declaration of independence from Pakistan in 1971, ending a liberation war which lasted for nine months. The ambassador recalled the sacrifices of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the valiant freedom fighters who strived for his country’s inde

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin holds an Iftar dinner commemorating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Friday. Iftar is a meal taken by Muslims at sunset to break the daily fast during Ramadan. The event invited some 170 guests, including members of the diplomatic corps from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Foreign Ministry has held Iftar dinners since 2004 to enhance mutual understanding between different cultures. (Sanjay Kumar/

South Korea should partner with Peru to utilize new gas deposits, said Paul Duclos, the newly appointed Peruvian ambassador to Korea, in an interview with The Korea Herald. Peru is seeking investment for a new gas field with the potential to match the needs of the Camisea gas project, said Duclos, urging Korea to build new infrastructure to tap, extract and export gas. Peru's Camisea gas project extracts gas in the Amazon basin and transports it to the coast via two pipelines hundreds of ki