NEAR Secretary-General Hong Jong-kyoung met with Deputy Secretary of Commerce Chinzu of the Korea-China-Japan Ibis Friendship Cooperation Forum on July 24(Mon), 2017.

The Deputy Secretary extended an invitation to the NEAR Secretary-General to the Korea-China-Japan Ibis Friendship Cooperation Forum to be held in Shaanxi province, China from October 28(Sat.) to 29(Sun.) and gave a presentation on the efforts being made to promote friendship among Korea, China and Japan through the protection of the Crested Ibis, an endangered bird found  only in Northeast Asia.

Secretary-General Hong remarked that the efforts made by the Association of Korea-China-Japan Friendship Cooperation Forum to strengthen friendly relations between the three countries, also aligned well with the founding spirit of NEAR. Secretary-General Hong added that he would consider participating in the forum.

Today, the only remaining population of wild ibis is found exclusively in Shaanxi province, China. NEAR members, including Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures, Japan and Gyeongsangnam-do province, South Korea are making efforts to restore the ibis population by receiving ibis donated by China.