Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, a member of NEAR, and Irkutsk Region, the NEAR chair held an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of their partnership. On June 30th, the 20th anniversary celebration event along with the Korea-Russia Culture Concert was held at Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Office located in Andong, South Korea. About 500 guests attended the event, including the Governor Kim Kwan-yong of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the Governor Levchenko Sergey of Irkutsk Region, and the Consulate-General Alexander Vostrikov stationed in Busan. From NEAR, the Secretary-General Jun Jae-won and foreign staff participated in the event. As a part of celebrations, participants viewed a presentation video-clip of the cooperation and exchange history between the two regions, a congratulatory speech was given, followed by a joint statement signing ceremony. The visit of the delegation from Irkutsk Region of about 50 people including economists and performing team headed by the Governor Levchenko Sergey was meaningful not only because it was the first visit of foreign guests since the opening of the new Gyeongsangbuk-do provincial office, but it also presented an ideal opportunity for the two NEAR member regions to enhance their friendship and cooperation.