On September 14, Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin paid a visit to the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in Busan. During his visit, he had a meeting with Consul-General AYAN Kashabayev, during which he provided an overview of NEAR, ongoing activities, and introduced the NEAR associate membership system.

Mr. Lim expressed a strong interest in having Almaty, Kazakhstan, join NEAR as an associate member. This move aims to foster collaboration between NEAR and local governments in Central Asia. He kindly requested the support of the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in facilitating this membership.

In response, Consul General Mr. Ayan expressed his gratitude for Mr. Lim's comprehensive introduction to NEAR and its associate membership system. He affirmed that the Consulate General of Kazakhstan would make every effort to assist the Kazakhstan Regional Governments in becoming associate members of NEAR once a formal request is submitted to the Consulate General of Kazakhstan.

It is noteworthy that NEAR's 11th General Assembly in Irkutsk made the decision to extend associate membership to metropolitan governments located in Asia beyond Northeast Asia. Currently, the sole associate member of NEAR is Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.