On December 11, Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin met with Kang Seok-hee, Ambassador of International Relations of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, who visited the NEAR Secretariat. They exchanged ideas on how to strengthen collaboration between the NEAR Secretariat and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and the ways to advance NEAR in the years to come.
Mr. Lim expressed his gratitude to Gyeongsangbuk-do Province for funding the full operational budget of the Secretariat to promote exchange and cooperation among regional governments in Northeast Asia. He added that, thanks to Gyeongsangbuk-do’s support and active participation of the member regional governments, NEAR’s outreach continues to expand, and the platform is becoming increasingly dynamic, growing into the largest multilateral exchange platform among Northeast Asian regional governments. Additionally, he outlined next year’s major events, including the 15th NEAR General Assembly to be held in Liaoning Province, China, the NEAR Member Workshop, and Meet the Ambassadors of International Relations+1, and requested Gyeongsangbuk-do’s active participation.
Mr. Kang stated that his visit to the Secretariat today provided a valuable opportunity to better understand NEAR. Highlighting the special relationship between NEAR and Gyeongsangbuk-do, he responded positively by pledging active participation in NEAR’s major international events in 2025 and expressed commitment to supporting NEAR’s further development.
Gyeongsangbuk-do played a leading role in the establishment of NEAR in 1996 and has been supporting with the Secretariat's operational budget since the creation of the permanent Secretariat in May 2005. The province also currently coordinates the Subcommittee on Economic and Humanities Exchange.