Lim Byung-jin, Secretary-General of the North East Asia Regional Government Association (NEAR), visited the Embassy of Myanmar in Korea on Monday, March 31, and held a meeting with Myo Myint Maung, the Myanmar Ambassador to Korea. This meeting was arranged following the applications of Myanmar's Mandalay Region, Shan State, and Yangon Region to join NEAR as Associate Members.
During the meeting, Secretary-General Lim expressed his gratitude for the smooth progress of the Associate Member application process for the three Myanmar regions, which was made possible through the active support of the Republic of Buryatia—the current Chair of NEAR—and the Embassy of Myanmar in Korea. He also provided a detailed introduction to NEAR's history, member status, major activities, and the procedures and benefits of becoming an Associate Member.
In particular, he emphasized that "NEAR is the largest multilateral exchange and cooperation platform for local governments, encompassing not only Northeast Asia but also Central Asia and ASEAN." He requested active support at the embassy level so that ASEAN local governments, including those in Myanmar, can participate extensively in NEAR activities as Associate Members for the common prosperity and peace of the Asian region.
In response, Ambassador Myo Myint Maung highly evaluated the core role NEAR has played in exchanges between Northeast Asian local governments. He expressed deep resonance with NEAR’s objective of "common prosperity and peace in Northeast Asia" through exchange and cooperation. Referring to the three regions that applied for membership, he introduced them as "the most influential regions in Myanmar" and expressed high expectations.
Furthermore, Ambassador Myo Myint Maung noted that while relations between Myanmar and Korea had become somewhat distant following COVID-19, the relationship between the authorities of the two nations had been positive in the past. He expressed hope that the launch of the new Myanmar government this coming April would serve as an opportunity to expand cooperation between Korean and Myanmar local governments through the NEAR platform, thereby contributing to the restoration of Korea-Myanmar relations.
Secretary-General Lim thanked Ambassador Myo Myint Maung for his active interest and support for NEAR and stated that he would request close cooperation and support from the embassy in the future. He added that he hopes the Associate Member applications of the three Myanmar regions will serve as an important momentum for expanding the international cooperation capacity of Myanmar's local governments and provide an opportunity to develop Korea-Myanmar relations.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Myo Myint Maung, a former Navy Commander, previously served as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information (concurrently serving as the Director-General of the state-run broadcaster MRTV) and as the Ambassador to Nepal. He has been serving as the Myanmar Ambassador to Korea since October 2025.