The 5^th NEAR International Forum 2011 was held on 31 Oct-2 Nov. in Seoul, Korea, organized by the NEAR Secretariat. More than 170 representatives of NEAR members regions in five countries, central governments (the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade and the Ministry of Public Administration & Security), research institutes and universities gathered under the theme of “Transformation of Northeast Asia in the 21^st Century: Challenges and prospects in the 2010s.” Organized in Seoul, the capital city of Korea, the forum also invited participation by international organizations, including the Assembly of European Regions led by President Michèle Sabban, the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, the ASEAN-Korea Centre and the North East Asia Sub-regional Office of ESCAP, raising NEAR’s profile at the global stage as an exemplary organization dedicated to regional cooperation.

Opening with a keynote (“Leadership of Northeast Asia in the 21^st Century, a Century of Crisis” by Young-Sun Lee, President of Hallym University, Korea) and a special speech (“Northeast Asia in the 21^st Century: From the European Perspective” by Michèle Sabban, President of the Assembly of European Regions), the forum was divided into three sessions focusing on energy, environment and logistics cooperation. Each session analyzed the geopolitical advantages, resources, technologies and consumer markets of the NEAR regions and mapped out measures to strengthen cooperation in effectively utilizing them.

The forum provided an opportunity to reaffirm the potential of Northeast Asia, enhance the sense of community and create a common ground for an inclusive, win-win growth among NEAR members. However, more remains to be done to identify concrete cooperation projects between regional governments and action plans to implement them.   

In the meantime, heads of NEAR Sub-Committees gathered at an executive meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the forum, created shared understanding about the operational guidelines suggested by the Secretariat and agreed to reinvigorate Sub-Committees by considering new strategies such as hosting Sub-Committee meetings on a rotational basis. Such ongoing efforts are expected to produce tangible results in improving the functioning of NEAR bodies.