Saeed Badamchi Shabestari (Iranian Embassy)By Iranian Ambassador to Korea Saeed Badamchi Shabestari As the Iranian ambassador to the Republic of Korea, I am delighted to address readers of esteemed newspaper Korea Herald about our National Day.This year, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and birth of the Islamic Republic of Iran.Over the years, the spirit of the revolution has borne fruitful results in the face of great adversities and misfortunes. The event sought to p

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 21, 2019

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right) and Indonesian President Joko Widodo shake hands during a summit in Seoul in September 2018. (Indonesian Embassy)As Seoul implements its New Southern Policy across Asia, it is crucial to grasp the region’s diverse local situations and tap into opportunities in emerging cities, according to Indonesian Ambassador Umar Hadi. Speaking in an interview at the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul last week, the envoy advised South Korean companies, particularly automak

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 21, 2019

Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Umar Hadi (left) and gamelan composer Nyoman Wenten (third from right) pose at the premiere of “Bali: Beats of Paradise” at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, on Nov. 7, 2018. (Indonesian Embassy)On the Indonesian island of Bali, music and dance are deeply ingrained in people’s daily chores and rhythms, effortlessly blurring the lines between work and leisure. Before going to school in the morning, children stop by the vil

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 21, 2019

Azerbaijani citizens lay wreaths at the Martyrs’ Avenue in Baku in commemoration of the Black January martyrdom. (Azerbaijani Embassy)Azerbaijan mourns the death of its compatriots in the “Black January” massacre of Jan. 19-20, 1990, and pays homage to their sacrifice, which ushered in freedom upon the modern democratic market economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, according to its embassy in Seoul. The Black January commemoration annually marks the martyrdom of 147 Azerbaijanis -- women, childr

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 14, 2019

When Korea’s foremost civilian ambassador, Choi Jung-wha, walked along Paris’ Champs-Elysees Avenue last year, she was struck by familiar tunes sung in Korean.Young French people belted out K-pop band BTS’ songs in Korean, to the surprise of Choi, who first landed in France in the late 1970s for her studies. Back then, Korea, much less South Korea, was barely on the mental map of an average French person. But with the country’s continuing economic and cultural ascent on the global stage, the Kor

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 14, 2019

Myanmar’s Ambassador Thura Thet Oo Maung (right) and Korean Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu pose at the Burmese National Day reception in Seoul on Jan. 7. (Joel Lee / The Korea Herald)As Seoul fleshes out its New Southern Policy to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian nations and other countries, Myanmar presents fresh opportunities with its business-friendly policies, according to the country’s top envoy to South Korea. During the Burmese National Day reception on Jan. 7 in S

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 14, 2019

Visitors at Skyline Luge Tongyeong ride carts downhill. (Skyline Luge Tongyeong)Skyline Luge Tongyeong has made a list of South Korea’s “100 Must-Visit Tourist Spots,” as compiled by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization, according to Skyline.The entertainment facility in South Gyeongsang Province is owned by New Zealand firm Skyline Enterprises, which has a diversified portfolio in leisure and entertainment in New Zealand and overseas. The accolade is a tr

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 14, 2019

The Omani Embassy in Seoul launched its annual program “Welcome to Oman,” aimed at promoting understanding between the peoples of Oman and Korea through the exchange of knowledge, the arts, tourism and business. At the inaugural event at the diplomatic mission on Friday, 26 students from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Myongji University, Dankook University, Chosun University and Busan University of Foreign Studies participated. Twenty of the students will visit Oman soon to study the Arab

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 7, 2019

Ambassador Rodolfo Solano Quiros (Costa Rican Embassy)With South Korea’s recent entry into the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, Costa Rica -- the multilateral institution’s founding member -- looks forward to stronger trade and investment ties with Korea, its embassy told The Korea Herald.Seoul entered the bank on Dec. 28, becoming its second-largest extraregional partner. CABEI President Dante Mossi and Korean Vice Minister of Economy and Finance Lee Ho-seung signed the agreement

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 7, 2019

ASEAN Hall at the ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul (AKC)The ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul has opened its main hall from this year onward to companies and individuals doing or planning business with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ corporate partners. The opening of the ASEAN Hall is aimed at spurring ASEAN business-related activities, and comes as part of celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the center’s establishment in 2009. It was created as an intergovernmental organization entru

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 7, 2019

Students give a bath to an elephant at a local elephant sanctuary as part of a community-based tourism program in Thailand last year. (AKC)The ASEAN-Korea Center in Seoul organized a sustainable local tourism course in the tourism village of Nglanggeran, located in the special region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, over the weekend. The ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Program from Thursday to Monday hosted 25 university students from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc and Korea. Its theme -

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 7, 2019

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s externally focused economic drive, India jumped 23 spots on the World Bank’s 2018 Ease of Doing Business ranking to No. 77, according to the Indian Embassy in Seoul. The rapid rise follows 2017’s upward move of 30 spots, placing India on near course to enter the world’s top 50 economies in terms of ease of doing business. “That’s remarkable progress. It sets India apart from other countries in the region,” according to Long Island University economics profess

Diplomatic Circuit Jan. 7, 2019

 Hungarian Ambassador to Korea Mozes Csoma is a fluent speaker of the Korean language and has written numerous books and papers on the country’s history and relations with Central European countries (Joel Lee/The Korea Herald)Hungarian Ambassador to South Korea Mozes Csoma speaks Korean better than any other language other than Hungarian. Korean being his first foreign language, he is about as good as a nonnative can get.He is so fluent that this interview was entirely conducted in Korean. As th

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 31, 2018

Diplomats and government officials from the Mekong region and Korea pose at the sixth Mekong-ROK Business Forum on Dec. 13 in Seoul. (ASEAN-Korea Center)The Greater Mekong Subregion is a transnational area along the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia, spanning some 5,000 kilometers through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Despite being a latecomer in the regional development of Southeast Asia, the countries have swiftly advanced their economic and social standings in recent years

Diplomatic Circuit Dec. 24, 2018