South Korea should implement a “new Western policy” to further strengthen ties with Israel, Israeli Ambassador to Korea Akiva Tor proposed at the Eurasian Economic and Cultural Forum on Dec. 1. Tor recommended forging a new defense alliance, as Korea and Israel are both democracies facing severe nuclear and missile threats. “We need a new Western policy for Korea and a new Eastern policy for Israel: Korea should seek to form an alliance in West Asia based on relations with t

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

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

Win Pa Pa Thu, economic counselor at the Myanmar Embassy KH: What drew you to G-Star 2021? Win: Myanmar participated in G-Star 2021 as part of the ASEAN-Korea Center to connect Myanmar and Korean game developers and the industry for business cooperation, sharing knowledge and business trends. KH: How can G-Star 2021 help companies from ASEAN and Korea? Win: Myanmar game developers and game companies can learn the current market trends not only in Korea but also worldwide via the game capac

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

On Nov. 15, a grand ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the independence of Uzbekistan and the 29th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Uzbekistan was held at the Lotte Hotel Seoul at the initiative of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. The event was attended by representatives of the government, ministries, companies, heads of diplomatic missions and compatriots working and studying in South Korea. Welcoming participants of the event, A

Kuwait’s Vision 2035 aims to transform the country into financial and trade hub presents opportunities for Korean participation, Kuwait’s top envoy to Korea Bader M. al-Awadi said last week. Speaking at the Eurasian Economic and Cultural Forum 2021 hosted Wednesday by The Korea Herald, Al-Awadi highlighted the pillars of Vision 2035 and introduced underlying projects and opportunities for Korean companies at the forum. A key part of Vision 2035 is the Silk City project, to be buil

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

Bader M. al-Awadi, Kuwait’s ambassador to South Korea, said ties between Korea and Middle Eastern countries have remained strong and has withstood the challenges brought about during the pandemic. “Humanitarian cooperation that took place between Korea and Arab countries in the field of limiting the spread of COVID-19, exchange of medical expertise, supply and devices, and sharing of creative ways Korea has invented to deal with pandemic, confirmed the ties and strength between Kore

Developing clean energy is a win-win opportunity for both Chile and Korea, as both are open economies with access to the wider market through the Pacific Ocean, Chile’s Minister for Energy and Mining Juan Carlos Jobet said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Jobet said Chile has vast renewable resources, powerful solar irradiance and ample wind resources for producing clean energy that the country wants to share with the rest of the world. With Korea’s goal of achieving carbon n

The Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul showcased seafood products at Busan International Seafood and Fisheries Expo 2021 last week. Co-organized by Busan Metropolitan City, Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (Bexco), National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives and Korea Fishery Trade Association, the trade fair was held through Nov. 3 to 5 at Bexco. Fourteen countries including Korea participated in the expo and displayed a wide range of seafood items at a total of 551 booths -- 36 were forei

MIDDLE EAST COOPERATION -- Bader M. al-Awadi, Kuwait’s ambassador to South Korea who also serves as dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps, delivers congratulatory remarks at the 17th Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum held at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Monday. The forum aimed to discuss future directions in strengthening the strategic partnership between Korea and the Middle East in the post COVID-19 era and to update and upgrade the paradigm of the Middle East in a rapidly changing political e

  The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Seoul opened a photo exhibition on Tuesday titled “Nuclear-Free World.” The show commemorates the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan. Opening the exhibition, Ambassador Bakyt Dyussenbayev noted that Kazakhstan was the first country in the world to close a nuclear test site and that it had voluntarily renounced its nuclear

At a time when civil liberties are under attack in countries around the world, South Korea offers hope in demonstrating a different approach of encouraging civic participation and protecting civil liberties, said Sanjay Pradhan, chief executive of the Open Government Partnership during an interview with The Korea Herald on Saturday at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. According to Pradhan, Gwanghwamun Square is an inspirational example because after candlelit protests brought down the previ