Bulgaria is leading Southeastern Europe’s digital economy as a hub of entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in the information technology sector, according to the country’s top envoy to Korea. “A vibrant, inclusive and supportive startup ecosystem has been developing in Bulgaria for the last 5 years involving various stakeholders, including pre-accelerators, accelerators, venture funds, business angels, co-working spaces and startup nongovernmental organizations,” said Bulgarian Ambassad

Diplomatic Circuit July 2, 2018

With protectionism and the threat of a trade war between the United States and China looming large, strengthening cooperation with Southeast Asian countries could serve as an antidote to isolationist, illiberal tendencies engulfing the world, said a group of diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during a visit to Korea last week. A delegation of ambassadors and permanent representatives of Southeast Asian governments to the ASEAN secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia stressed tha

Diplomatic Circuit July 2, 2018

Choi Jung-wha, the president of the Corea Image Communication Institute, will receive the Yeongsan Diplomat Award on July 4 for her decadeslong efforts to promote Korea and its culture around the world.　The accolade, bestowed by the Seoul Forum organization, is annually conferred upon an individual who made superlative achievements to enhance the nation’s image and interests through public diplomacy. This year’s award ceremony will take place at the Plaza Hotel Seoul and gather opinion leaders f

People June 26, 2018

African ambassadors and diplomats marked Africa Day last week, celebrating the continent’s democratic progress and economic potential at a time South Korea is diversifying and expanding its diplomatic horizons further afield. “Today we celebrate the 55th anniversary of the erstwhile Organization of African Unity (the predecessor to the African Union, established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2001), which was created on May 25, 1963,” Angolan Ambassador Albino Malungo, also the dean of the African

Diplomatic Circuit June 25, 2018

The Korea America Friendship Society celebrated the 65th anniversary of the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States, paying homage to fallen and living soldiers alike while crediting their comradeship that led to the two historic summits this year aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Nov. 7 will mark the 40th anniversary of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command, created in 1978. “I would like to take this opportunity to honor the noble sacrifices of United States Force

Diplomatic Circuit June 25, 2018

Participants, including Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars (center) and Estonian Ambassador to Japan and Korea Jaak Lensment (back, sixth from right), pose at the Latvian Embassy in Seoul, which organized the midsummer celebration on June 19 on behalf of Baltic diplomatic missions in East Asia. Baltic countries Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania celebrate the Midsummer Day annually on June 23, when the sun is visible for the longest time. People decorate their homes with wild flowers and tre

Diplomatic Circuit June 25, 2018

The Korea Foundation, in collaboration with Colombian, Peruvian, Mexican and Chilean embassies, has organized a plethora of public events through Aug. 17. “The Pacific Alliance Festival Hola” showcases in Seoul photographs, musical and dance performances and films of the four countries that make up the Pacific Alliance. As part of the festival, the exhibition “Land of the Pacific Embrace” features works of Colombian photographer Fernando Cano, Chilean photographer Christian Jamet, 13 Peruvian ph

Diplomatic Circuit June 25, 2018

People formed a ring encircling a “chacana” -- a space lavished with artfully juxtaposed fruits, grains and flower petals -- genuflecting, reaching out to the sky and expressing through mystical body language in a mimicry of a ritual leader donning a colorful mask. The theatricals replicated the ceremony of “Inty Raymi,” or festival of the sun, the ancient Incan Empire’s essential rite of passage every year centered on the agricultural cycle and harvest. The Ecuadorian Embassy, in collaboration

Diplomatic Circuit June 25, 2018

For comprehensive educational firm Due West’s co-founders, Andrew Sohn and Michael J. Novielli, China has been a thrilling place to do business. The Columbia University graduates founded the company in 2009, and have made inroads into the Chinese market offering consulting and guidance for students wanting to study in the United States. In an interview at The Korea Herald headquarters in Seoul on Friday, the duo said there was a “real hunger” and drive for learning and entrepreneurship in China,

Diplomatic Circuit June 18, 2018

Backed by an ambitious infrastructure program and comprehensive reforms, the Philippine economy is expected to grow by 7 percent next year, forecast the country’s top envoy to Korea last week, citing the International Monetary Fund. “The Philippines is enjoying not only freedom but also prosperity,” Ambassador Raul Hernandez said at a reception in Seoul on Thursday marking the 120th anniversary of the Philippines’ declaration of independence from colonial Spain. “Last year, amid global uncertain

Diplomatic Circuit June 18, 2018

American political scientist Joseph S. Nye Jr. once said, “What is soft power? It is the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments. It arises from the attractiveness of a country’s culture, political ideals and policies.”If there were verity in Nye’s assumption, the Korean government has wisely followed through on the celebrity scholar’s insight to magnify its soft power, drawing on a whole set of public diplomacy tools such as K-pop, Korean drama series, t

Diplomatic Circuit June 18, 2018

The International Committee for the Red Cross is committed to assisting humanitarian projects between the two Koreas amid their conciliatory efforts, even as it copes with the consequences of some of the world’s most calamitous man-made crises, said the chief of the Switzerland-based organization in Seoul last week. Peter Maurer, the president of the ICRC, came to Korea from June 4-5 to strengthen cooperation with Seoul by drawing the country’s continuing contributions and raising its public awa

Diplomatic Circuit June 11, 2018

Ahead of the historic summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday, a coalition of human rights organizations from around the world sent a letter to the communist leader, urging him to undertake “meaningful reforms” to reverse the grave human rights situation in the country. Trump and Kim are due to hold talks -- the first-ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader -- in Singapore, with Trump describing the summit as a “one

Diplomatic Circuit June 11, 2018

The recent Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal made us realize how important strong data protection rules are for the society as a whole, including for the very functioning of the democratic process. These and other developments have shown that the protection of privacy is crucial, both as an individual right and democratic imperative as well as economic necessity.Without consumers’ trust in the way their data is handled, our data-driven economies will not thrive.The General Data Protection Reg

Diplomatic Circuit June 11, 2018

The United Kingdom is committed to simultaneously spurring national economic development and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring clean growth and the supply of affordable energy for businesses and consumers, according to the UK Embassy in Seoul. At the same time, it added that it was seeking to elicit international collaboration.“Achieving clean growth, while ensuring an affordable energy supply for businesses and consumers, is at the heart of the UK’s Industrial Strategy,” the embassy re

Diplomatic Circuit June 11, 2018