On October 24, Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin warmly welcomed a delegation from Henan Province, led by Vice Governor ZHANG Min, to the 14th NEAR General Assembly in Ulsan Metropolitan City.

Expressing gratitude, Mr. Lim thanked Mr. Zhang for leading a high-level delegation from Henan Province to the General Assembly. He shared that this year's General Assembly marked a historic milestone, being the largest and most high-profile event ever, with 22 vice-governor-level and 34 director-general-level officials from 52 member regions participating.

He also congratulated Henan Province for the successful collaboration with Ulsan Metropolitan City, Korea, facilitated by the NEAR Secretariat, as evidenced by the signing of a letter of intent. Mr. Lim encouraged active participation in the future operations of the Subcommittees on E-Commerce and Tourism, emphasizing their vital roles as coordinators.

In response, Mr. Zhang expressed his gratitude for the continuous support provided by the NEAR Secretariat for Henan Province's development. He acknowledged NEAR's growing influence in the Northeast Asia region and pledged Henan Province's commitment to leveraging its economic and cultural strengths. With a population of 100 million and the fifth largest GRDP in China, Henan aims to proactively enhance exchanges and cooperation with NEAR member regions.