The governments of Germany and Korea can set the right regulatory conditions and incentives to leverage the maximum amount of private investment into clean energy, German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel said at a Thursday webinar titled “KR-DE Road to 2050: Financing Clean Energy Transition.”  The event was co-hosted by the Embassy of Germany in Korea, Solutions for Our Climate, Climate Transparency and Rep. Lee So-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Accor

South Korea and Georgia are significant strategic partners, with great potential for furthering cooperation in trade, technology and cultural exchange, says Alexander Khvtisiashvili, Georgian deputy foreign minister. He said deepened bilateral cooperation could achieve new grounds in the post-COVID-19 era.　 According to Khvtisiashvili, Georgia’s geopolitical location between the East and West makes the country a corridor of trade, capital, human and natural resources, adding that Korea-G

The Russian Embassy in South Korea held an opening ceremony for the Russian Seasons at Seoul Arts Center on Saturday. Russian seasons is a project run by Russia’s Ministry of Culture aimed at introducing Russian culture worldwide and presenting the “Firebird” to the hosting country. The Firebird is the symbol of the Russian Seasons inspired by the mythical creature from Russian folk tales. The project in Korea started with a performance by the Soloists of Moscow, a chamber en

  The spirit of the ASEAN Korea Center is in cooperation and mutual support, say officials selected from four among the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- Brunei, Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines -- who are working at the South Korea-based center on a three-year term. Ahead of ASEAN Week, an annual week of events to promote the association, The Korea Herald interviewed four officials representing their nations at the ASEAN Korea Center.  Siti Maisarah Haji Majid

The ASEAN-Korea Centre, an intergovernmental organization, will hold ASEAN Week 2021 online and offline Oct. 5-6 to highlight partnerships between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. According to the center’s Secretary-General Kim Hae-yong, the flagship event will be co-hosted by the Presidential Committee on New Southern Policy and the Korea International Trade Association. Throughout the week there will be programs on trade, investment, culture and youth. The t

The Polish Embassy in Seoul held the first edition of Poland Business Week on Sept. 13-17 to promote Polish companies in tech sectors such as fintech, cybersecurity and drones. The embassy said the event was aimed at bringing together internationally acclaimed Polish companies and offering them a fresh occasion to seek potential business partners in Korea. The inaugural event was held virtually due to COVID-19 but the embassy hinted that future editions could come in a hybrid form that comp

A new “phygital” solution -- a hybrid of physical and digital -- is key for the survival of the art and culture industry that has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, says Dinesh Patnaik, director general of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Patnaik said future events have to embrace the new hybrid mode. “Culture communication forum (CCF) was exactly the hybrid mode of physical as well as digital participation, it’s f

Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung met on Wednesday with Choi Jin-young, CEO of The Korea Herald, and they exchanged views on bilateral ties between the two countries and the struggles of small businesses coping with COVID-19. “Next year Vietnam and Korea will celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Many opportunities lie ahead,” the Vietnamese ambassador said. “It’s the right time to enhance bilateral cooperation.” Choi echoed

Climate change is the biggest existential challenge for humankind and the world needs to make a collective effort to use the rapidly narrowing window of opportunity to tackle the issue, says Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Umar Hadi. “We shall think green and transform now,” Hadi said in an interview with The Korea Herald, underscoring a need for a new ideology on sustainable development and for industries to undergo a green transformation. “I think, right now, what humanity t

FRIENDLY TIES -- Bader Al Awadi (right), ambassador of Kuwait to South Korea, fist-bumps with The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young during a courtesy visit to the Herald Corp. headquarters in central Seoul on Tuesday.

Korea is leading the world in the green transition with its Green New Deal, Carlos Eduardo Correa, Colombia’s environment and sustainable development minister said in an interview with the Korea Herald. Recognizing that Colombia also had a significant role to play in environmental issues, he said the two countries could work more effectively to achieving their aims if thy worked together “Colombia and Korea have big responsibility of sustainable development in post-COVID-19, if w

Colombia welcomes Korean companies to bid for energy and mining projects, Diego Mesa, Colombia’s minister of energy and mining said on Aug. 25, during an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul. According to Mesa, Colombia has two major auctions for renewable energy and oil and gas coming up in October and December.  “Colombia’s main policy has been energy transition and multiplication. Korean companies can take part in upcoming biddings either directly or through prov

The Latvian Embassy in Seoul unveiled an exhibition Teusday to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Latvia and Korea. The exhibition titled “Latvia: A New Beginning” was unveiled at the Geumjeong Cultural Center in Busan and will showcase diversity of Latvia’s culture until Oct. 9. One part of the exhibition, “Latvia. Architecture at Convergence,” reflects the rich culture of Latvia and has been created as a follow-up to a special issue of th

  Colombian President Ivan Duque on Thursday expressed hopes of expanded economic ties with Korea, touting the brotherhood between the two nations forged during Colombia’s participation in the 1950-53 Korean War. “More than 5,000 Colombians came into this nation to defend liberty and democracy. More than 230 were killed. Four hundred were injured. And they gave the best of their lives to protect this nation. So, there is a brotherhood that has existed since then,” the p

Colombia can help Korean businesses with their popular cosmetics and food products by supplying exotic ingredients, Colombia’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Rodolfo Enrique Zea, said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday. He gave the example of copoazu, an Amazon fruit that can be used to make desserts and confectionery. The minister was visiting Seoul this week, accompanying President Ivan Duque’s three-day state visit. The president held summit talk

New Zealand’s chamber of commerce in Korea, or the Kiwi Chamber, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Invest Seoul Center jointly launched the two-day “New Zealand-Korea Tech Roadshow 2021” webinar Wednesday. The tech roadshow aims to emphasize New Zealand‘s role as a testbed of agricultural technologies and its status as a global leader in the field. Tech Roadshow 2021’s agenda is “People & Environment” focusing

The Indian Embassy has teamed up with Yonsei University’s Institute of East and West Studies to co-host a two-day International Symposium entitled “Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh: Developmental Dynamics and Future Trajectories.” As part of celebrations for India’s Independence Day, the symposium was held Monday and Tuesday to analyze development strategies and map future trajectories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh region through growth models of India and Korea. Ra

Denmark has a lot of room for increased cooperation in strengthening public-private partnerships as well as in the environmental, social and governance, or ESG, realm with Korea, Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen, Denmark’s tech ambassador said in an email interview with the Korea Herald. Saying that the Danish-Korean green growth alliance launched in 2011 shows Denmark and Korea are on track to strengthening public-private partnerships and ESG, Larsen said that Korea’s hosting of the Part

GOLD CROSS -- Ro Jae-hun, the founding president of the Korea-Hungary Friendship Association and son of former President Roh Tae-woo (left), and Jang Si-ho (right) pose with Hungarian Ambassador Mozes Csoma after receiving the Hungarian Gold Cross of Merit, the country’s second-highest civilian honor, on Friday. Roh received the medal for contributing to Hungary-Korea ties, while Jang was recognized for his contribution to economic relations between the two countries.

The Singapore Embassy in Seoul celebrated the country‘s 56th National Day Wednesday. 　 As part of the online program, a Singapore Airlines cabin crew performed a National Day song titled ‘Where I Belong’. A cultural performance titled ‘Friendship Promenade’ was also performed in collaboration with Singapore’s Ding Yi Music Company and Korean traditional musician Gamin Kang. Singapore’s ambassador to Korea Eric Teo thanked the participants, and expre