On August 10, the 40 participants of the 2024 NEAR Young Leaders Forum visited the NEAR Secretariat, where the closing ceremony took place with nearly 60 persons joining the event, including the NEAR Secretariat staff members and the forum participants.

The closing ceremony began with the words of greetings of the Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin. Then, the participants had a conversation with Mr. Lim, expressing their thoughts and feelings about the 7-day experience at the forum. Finally, the Certificate of Completion was presented to each of the participants before the sub-programs such as the secretariat tour and lunch time.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Lim stated, “I hope that the young generations studying in Korea had a wonderful time exchanging their experiences and cultures, building friendships, and bringing peace and prosperity to Northeast Asia.” He added, “I also hope that this forum has inspired you to grow into global leaders contributing to the development of your own local communities.”

Afterwards, Mr. Lim had a conversation over lunch with the young participants, listening to their opinions and feelings about the forum, and encouraging their continued interest and support for the NEAR platform.

In response, the participants expressed their gratitude to the NEAR Secretariat for organizing this fruitful forum where they could build friendships and understand each other’s cultures, as well as for the hospitality they received. 

Also, they conveyed their hopes for NEAR’s continued growth as a multilateral exchange platform for the local governments of Northeast Asia and for its ongoing efforts to promote youth exchange of the region in the coming years.

This year’s forum, beginning with the opening ceremony at Handong Global University (Aug 6), included a variety of programs such as expert lectures (Aug 7 and 8) by Cheong Hae-kwan, Ambassador for International Affairs in Daegu, and by Shin Hayne, professor at Handong Global University. Also, there were cultural tour program in Gyeongju (Aug 9), closing ceremony, Korean culture experiences, and Cultural Night session (Aug 10).