On January 6, Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin made a visit to Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, at the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Government Office. During his visit, Mr. Lim briefed Mr. Lee on NEAR’s activity plan and event schedule for this year. In particular, Mr. Lim requested the governor’s participation in the upcoming NEAR General Assembly, which is scheduled to take place in mid-June in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, and called for the governor’s continued interest and support for the Secretariat.
Governor Lee Cheol-woo, whose province fully supports the Secretariat's operational budget, highly praised NEAR's recent efforts in revitalizing itself as a multilateral exchange platform for Northeast Asian regional governments and enhancing its international status. He expressed strong support for the Secretariat's activities planned for the year and stated that he would positively consider attending the General Assembly in June.
Mr. Lim also met with Choi Young-sook, Director of the Economic and Industrial Bureau, and Kang Seok-hee, Ambassador for International Relations, during his visit to Governor Lee. He briefed them on NEAR's event plans and for the year, requesting their active participation and support for NEAR events.