NEAR Secretary General Lim Byung-jin paid a courtesy visit to Korean Ambassador Roh Jae-heon to China at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Beijing on July 13 (Monday).
During the meeting, Secretary General Lim briefed Ambassador Roh on NEAR's recent activities and the progress of the "NEAR+2" initiative such as associate membership of Central Asia and Southeast Asia countries. He also highlighted the significant role and contributions of NEAR's Chinese member governments, noting that they currently chair and operate 10 of NEAR's 18 Subcommittees. Secretary General Lim requested Ambassador Roh's continued interest and support in encouraging additional Chinese provincial governments that have not yet joined NEAR to become members.
Secretary General Lim also introduced NEAR's plans to commemorate its 30th anniversary, including the 「2026 NEAR 30th Anniversary Local Cooperation Forum」, scheduled for August, which will bring together ambassadors to Korea from China, Russia, Mongolia, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, as well as the 「NEAR International Forum」, to be held in November under the theme of Northeast Asian regional cooperation.
In response, Ambassador Roh highly commended Secretary General Lim's dedicated efforts that allowed NEAR's continued growth and development. He expressed his commitment to maintaining strong interest in and support for NEAR's activities, including efforts to encourage additional Chinese provincial governments to join NEAR.
Also present at the meeting were Mr. Kim Eung-soo, Public Administration Attaché at the Korean Embassy in China, Mr. Kim Jin-gon, Director of the Korean Cultural Center in China, and Ms. Bae Yu-mi, First Secretary of the Embassy.
During his visit to Beijing, Secretary General Lim also met with Mr. Gregory C. May, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in China (formerly U.S. Consul General in Shenyang and Hong Kong), to exchange views on issues of mutual interest.