2024 NEAR Members Workshop

- An event of exchange & cooperation for the mutual development of 44 member regions from 6 countries in Northeast Asia

The NEAR Secretariat (Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin) held the NEAR Members Workshop and Ambassadors for International Relations+1 Dialogue at Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju from May 22 to 24, 2024 with a total of 130 participants from 44 member-region governments of 6 countries (China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan.) 

As an event aimed at strengthening exchange, building human network among Northeast Asia regional governments, and promoting mutual growth, the 2024 NEAR Members Workshop has grown to involve not only the working-level officials, as in the past, but now also high-ranking officials including vice-mayors and director-level officials, differentiating itself from the past workshop events in terms of the intended participants and the program content such as arranging a separate session of one-on-one conversation between NEAR members.   

The opening ceremony was kicked off by the welcoming remarks by the Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin, congratulatory remarks by Mukhin Vsevolod, first deputy prime minister of the Republic of Buryatia, Ahn Hyo-dae, deputy mayor for economic affairs of Ulsan, and Daarii Jargalsaikhan, vice governor of Bulgan Province, and the keynote speech by Kim Hak-hong, deputy governor for administration of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

In his keynote speech themed “The Regional Cooperation between Gyeongsangbuk-do and Northeast Asia,” Mr. Kim Hak-hong presented the status of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and its major policies, highlighting the region’s commitment to the cooperation with NEAR, as the 1^st NEAR chair and the financial sponsor for the NEAR Secretariat, to make it a prestigious international organization as well as a multilateral exchange platform for Northeast Asia regional governments. He also shared the region’s vision of building a community of peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia by working together with other NEAR members.

There followed a report on the status of the NEAR Secretariat’s major projects and events, NEAR members’ presentations on their event plans and promotions, proposal-making, and discussions on the ways to revitalize the Subcommittee activities. The session of Member-to-Member Friendly Conversation, the first-ever program included in the workshop from this year, provided a venue for the NEAR members to discuss the current issues of international exchange directly with other member regions. 

During the conversations, a total of 14 member regions engaged in an one-on-one communication discussing various fields of exchange such as attracting international students, economy & trade, culture, and art. This provided an opportunity for the NEAR members to deeply appreciate the utility of NEAR as a multilateral exchange platform for Northeast Asia regional governments.

The participants also enjoyed cultural & industrial tour program by visiting Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond, Cheonmachong Acient Tomb, and POSCO exhibition in Gyeongju and Pohang Cities, experiencing Korean history, culture, and industries.

Mr. Lim stated, “The size of the NEAR workshop this year is the largest-ever in its history, participated by 44 member-region governments from 6 countries. The event has become even more prestigious with the participation of 4 vice-governors from South Korea, Mongolia, and Russia, and 13 ambassadors for international relations who have been leading the local diplomacy of Korean regional governments. In addition, the participation of the regions which recently applied for NEAR membership—Qinghai Province of China and Chui Area of Kyrgyzstan—as well as the regions now considering to join NEAR—Tianjin City of China and Okinawa Prefecture of Japan—has laid a basis for NEAR’s further development.”

He added, “Although the recent international landscape is defined mostly by competition and confrontation rather than cooperation, the vision of mutual development and peace through inter-regional exchange and cooperation of Northeast Asia is NEAR’s core value that can never be compromised. I sincerely hope that this Workshop serves as a venue of network-building that strengthens mutual exchange and cooperation between NEAR member regions.”