NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin attended the 10th Northeast Asia CEO Economic Cooperation Forum on June 21. The event was hosted by the City of Pohang and supported by Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and NEAR.
The forum, held under the theme “SEA AI: A Cooperative Model for the Future of Northeast Asia in the Age of AI,” took place at the POSCO International Center. It began with a keynote speech by Maeng Sung-hyun, Vice President of Taejae University, and featured expert presentations from China (An Yoo-hwa, Fintech Chair Professor at HAUST), Japan (Yasuo Sato, CEO of Allganize Japan), and Russia (Anton Tamarovich, International Research Institute for AI Development, Russia), as well as from Korean AI experts. The event also included a trade consultation session attended by CEOs and representatives of leading enterprises.
Secretary-General Lim met with experts from China, Japan, and Russia, as well as vice mayors from Hunchun and Tangshan, Pohang’s friendship cities in China, and the Mayor of Maizuru, Japan, along with Vice Mayor Zhoev. During these meetings, Secretary-General Lim introduced the current status and recent activities of NEAR.
Following the forum, Secretary-General Lim attended the official welcome dinner of the 2025 Pohang International Fireworks Festival. In his toast, he remarked,
“As the NEAR Secretariat is the only international organization based in Pohang, I will strive to promote the city to Northeast Asia and wider the world through the NEAR platform, which unites 91 regional governments from nine countries.”
Secretary-General Lim also took the opportunity to meet with key figures attending the welcome dinner, including National Assembly members Kim Jung-jae and Lee Sang-hwi; H.E. Emilia Gatto, Ambassador of Italy to Korea; Yang Geum-hee, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do; Ahn Seung-dae, Administrative Vice Mayor of Ulsan Metropolitan City; Chen Il-pyo, Consul General of China in Busan; and Aslan Askar, Consul General of Kazakhstan in Busan. Secretary-General Lim introduced NEAR’s recent activities and called for continued interest and support for the organization.
The Pohang International Fireworks Festival, which began in 2004, is an international event where Pohang’s domestic and overseas sister and friendship cities, along with members of the diplomatic corps in Korea, join local citizens in celebrating friendship and mutual development.