The “Yamagata Safflower¹ Society” was founded in October 2010 initiated by Yamagata Prefecture Seoul Office as a unique society compared to others, because anybody regardless of nationality or residence, can become a qualified member if she/he has a connection to the region.

 The gathering began with a simple idea, but already celebrates its third anniversary this year with 51 members, including 33 Japanese and 18 Koreans. Regular meetings are held four times a year and the Tokyo branch was established by members who returned to Japan. Even though Koreans make up quite a large part of membership, most of the dialogues are in Japanese. It is expected that the “Yamagata network of people” regardless of age, nationality and occupation will continue to grow and be utilized for strengthening Korea-Japan exchange and cooperation.

1 Safflower is the prefectural flower of Yamagata widely cultivated in the region.