Membership History

• Beginning from the participation of Primorski and Khabarovsk of the 1st East Asia Regional Convention in Shimane, Japan in 1993, the members from Russia attended the 1st Annual Meeting in Gyeongsangbuk-do of Korea in 1996. 10 Russian local governments have joined the NEAR as founders, such as Buryatia, Sakha (Yakutia), Khabarovskm, Primorskim, Khabarovsk, Amur, Irkutsk, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Chita, and Ust-Ordynsky Buryat.
• The membership of Tyva, Altai, Krasnoyarsk, and Tomsk was approved during the 6th Annual Meeting in Busan of Korea in 2006.
• According to the restructuring administration body of a Russian Federation, Ust-Ordynsky Buryat became a part of Irkutsk. Therefore, the number of members from Russia is currently 13: Buryatia, Sakha (Yakutia), Tyva, Altai, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Primorski, Amur, Irkutsk, Kamchatka, Chita, Sakhalin and Tomk.
• Kemerovo Region joined the Association at the 8th General Assmebly in Gyeoggi-do Province, South Korea in October 2010.
• With Republic of Khakassia's joining new member approved at the 10th General Assembly in Jeollanam-do Province, South Korea in October, 2014, the number of members is currently 16.
• With the Republic of Altai joining the Association as a new member upon approval at the 14th General Assembly in Ulsan Metropolitan City, South Korea in 2023, the number of members is currently 17.

Major Activity

• Khabarovsk had been the chair member from 2002 to 2004, hosted the 4th Annual Meeting in September 2002.
• Khabarovsk made a great contribution on expanding the number of members. Especially, as it made Hamgyeongbuk-do and Rasun joined the Association on the 4th Annual Meeting in Khabarovsk, it played a decisive role in making NEAR, both nominally and virtually, consist of 6 countries in Northeast Asia.
• Khabarovsk proposed the establishment of Boarder Affair Subcommittee and the 5th Annual Meeting in Heilongjiang in China in 2004 and got its approval. After that, the first conference of Boarder Affair Subcommittee was in Khabarovsk in June 2005. The agreement containing the expansion of trades on boarders between China and Russia, the joint development of tour programs, and the simplification of VISA was made during the conference.
• As a successor to Khabarovsk, Amur held as the coordinator of the Boarder Affair Subcommittee in 2008
• Magadan Region held the inaugural meeting of the Subcommittee on Mineral Resources Development & Coordination in July 2010.
• After holding a founding meeting for Sub-Committee on Mineral Resources Development & Coordination in July 2012, Magadan Region held the 2nd Sub-Committee on Mineral Resources Development & Coordination in August 2012.
• The 6th NEAR International Forum was held co-hosted by the NEAR Secretariat and the government of Khabarovsk in August 2014.

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