The NEAR Secretariat hosted a session, called “The Globalization of Regions,” in a conference which was held as part of the Global Korea Convention led by the Korean government in Seoul on December 11.

This conference was titled, “Ways to Invigorate Exchange between Northeast Asian Regional Governments.” There, NEAR Secretary General Kim Ok-chae gave opening remarks followed by a welcome speech by Lee Cheol-woo, governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and presentations and discussions.

① Kim Hyeong-soo, the president of the Korean Association of Northeast Asia Studies and a professor at Dankook University made a presentation titled, “Ways to Invigorate Exchange between Northeast Asian Regional Governments.” ② Lee Seung-geun, the former president of the Korean Society of Contemporary European Studies and a professor at Keimyung University delivered a presentation themed, “Ways to Invigorate Exchange between Northeast Asian Regional Governments based on the Realities of Exchange between European Local Governments.”

In the discussions presided over by Secretary General Kim, experts presented various ways to invigorate exchange, stating, “As NEAR is an international organization like the UN in Northeast Asia, its role must expand, which calls for NEAR’s active exchange with other international organizations such as the Assembly of European Regions.”

The conference served as an opportunity to invite experts and devise ways to invigorate exchange between Northeast Asian regional governments and strengthen the roles of the NEAR Secretariat at a time when international exchange has been suspended due to COVID-19