On June 26, NEAR Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin hosted the opening ceremony of the 2024 NEAR Member Training Program, which took place in Yeungnam University.

The ceremony was attended by 15 participating government officials from NEAR member regions (3 from China, 9 from Mongolia, and 3 from Russia), as well as the three seconded officials from the three countries at the NEAR Secretariat. To begin the event, Mr. Lim delivered a welcoming speech, and then President CHOI Oe-chool of Yeungnam University gave a special lecture under the theme of “Sharing South Korea’s Development Experience with a Focus on the Saemaul International Development Cases,” introducing the cases of international cooperation driven by Yeungnam University’s Saemaul Undong strategy.

Scheduled to run for 10 days from June 26 to July 5, the 2024 NEAR Member Training Program will provide the participants with lectures on common issues faced by the regional governments of Northeast Asia: urbanization, local development, and digital economy. In addition, various on-site tours are prepared, such as visiting Cheongdo Memorial Park of Saemaul Undong, POSCO, and the NEAR Secretariat office.

Mr. Lim stated, “I hope that this training program would serve as a great opportunity to share South Korea’s Saemaul Undong-based development experience with our member regions, to help them improve capabilities to resolve diverse challenges faced by the regional governments of Northeast Asia, and to formulate relevant government policies.