On Tuesday, December 2, NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin received the Special Award of the Korea Local Diplomacy Awards. Selected by The Korea Times, a major Korean newspaper, the award was presented by the publication's president, Lee Sung-chul, during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Korea Local Diplomacy Forum in Cheongju, Chuncheongbuk-do Province.
The selection of the Secretary-General for this year’s Special Award reflects the high regard of the Korean media for the recent expansion of NEAR's external outreach and the revitalization of its platforms. These initiatives, have contributed to regional prosperity and peacebuilding by fostering interregional exchange and cooperation among local governments in Northeast Asia.
Prior to the ceremony, The Korea Times conducted an interview with Secretary-General Lim at the NEAR Secretariat. The discussion covered recent NEAR activities, relations with North Korean member governments, the reasons behind the organization's limited public profile in Korea, and the future direction of NEAR’s development.
[Source: The Korea Times] Link to Article