I am covering trend, food and fashion. Previously, I covered diplomacy, city, environment and unification.
Embassyline
• Kenya
By Kim Se-jeong
Kenyan national day:
Kenyan Ambassador to Korea Ngovi Kitau proposes a toast to mark the Independence Day of Kenya during a reception held at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Dec. 15. Kenya declared independence from the United Kingdom on Dec. 12, 1963.
/Courtesy of Seoul Times
• Switzerland
House concert at Swiss residence:
Bogdan Zvoristeanu, a violinist, plays with BLACK, a Korean chamber orchestra, at Swiss Ambassador Thomas Kupfer’s residence in Seoul, Dec. 13. Earlier this month, the violinist held a concert with the Seoul Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center. He is currently the concertmaster of the “Orchestre de la Suisse Romande” in Geneva, Switzerland. As a renowned soloist, Zvoristeanu has been invited to perform at festivals in East Asia. The Swiss embassy has been very active in promoting musicians coming from Switzerland. It often organizes house concerts at the ambassador’s residence and has them interact with guests more closely. The last house concert was by the ensemble “Absolute Trio” in October.
/ Courtesy of Swiss Embassy
• Czech Republic
From Korea to Czech Republic:
Ivana Tomankova, left, the winner of The Korea Times’ Sixth English Economic Essay Contest, receives her award from Pavel Kafka, director general of economic cooperation and cultural promotion section at the Czech foreign ministry in Prague, Dec. 6. The winner couldn’t attend the ceremony, which was held in Seoul early last month. Ambassador of Czech Republic to Korea Jaroslav Olsa. Jr., who turned out to be an old acquaintance of the winner’s mother, received the award on her behalf, and sent it to the ministry.
/ Courtesy of Czech Embassy
• Laos
Laotian national day:
Laotian Ambassador to Korea Soukthavone Keola, fourth from right, joins Hwang Hee-chul, vice justice minister, to his right, and other guests at a reception celebrating the foundation of Laos at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, Dec. 3. From left are: Ambassador Chan Ky Sim from Cambodia; Ambassador Luis Cruz from the Philippines; Ambassador Chua Thai Keong from Singapore; Ambassador Dato Haji Harun Ismail from Brunei; Ambassador Vitali Fen from Uzbekistan; Hwang; Keola; Ambassador Myo Lwin from Myanmar; Ambassador Nicholas Tandi Dammen from Indonesia; and Ambassador Dato Ramlan bin Ibrahim from Malaysia.
/ Korea Times