On September 20, NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin attended the celebration for the National Day of the People’s Republic of China, which was hosted by the Chinese Consulate-General in Busan. Mr. Lim offered his congratulations to Consul-General Chen Ribiao, and shared information on NEAR events for this year, including the High-Level Working Committee (hosted by Liaoning Province on September 25) and the Subcommittee on Innovation Plus (to be hosted by Hunan Province in October), inviting Mr. Chen to the upcoming NEAR DAY event (on October 8). He then requested continued support for NEAR.
During the reception, Mr. Lim met with Oxana Dudnik, the Russian consul-general in Busan, Aslan Askar, the Kazakh consul-general in Busan, and Tsogtoo Unurzaya, the Mongolian consul in Busan, to share NEAR’s recent activities and request for support.
Mr. Lim shared with Ms. Dudnik the outcomes of his attendance at the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia and his meeting with four Russian governors. He also expressed gratitude for the vice consul-general’s participation in the NEAR DAY event on October 8.
Mr. Lim informed the Kazakh Consul-General of his plan to meet with the Kazakh Ambassador to South Korea to discuss inviting regional governments in Kazakhstan to join NEAR as associate members, and he requested the consul-general’s support.
Lastly, Mr. Lim provided the Mongolian Consul with NEAR’s recent activities, and expressed gratitude for her participation in the NEAR DAY event on October 8.
Moderated by Yu Lifei, the vice consul-general of China in Busan, the reception featured a video presentation on China’s national development, the national anthems of China and South Korea, congratulatory remarks, toasts, and celebratory performances. The event was attended by dignitaries from Korea—An Sung-min, the chairman of the Busan Metropolitan Council; Hur Nam-sik, former mayor of Busan; Shin Jeong-taek, president of the Korea-China Friendship Association; Park Heong-joon (online), mayor of Busan; Lee Cheol-woo (online), governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province; and Hong Tae-yong (online), mayor of Kimhae—who delivered congratulatory remarks. In addition, Kim Doo-gyum, mayor of Ulsan, Park Wan-su, governor of Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Jo Kyu-il, mayor of Jinju sent congratulatory letters. The event brought together over 300 attendees from consulates in Busan, Chinese investment authority, and representatives of Chinese people and students in Korea.