- Ambassadors to Korea of 6 countries including China, Mongolia, Russia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia attend
- Reviewing the past 3 decades’ Northeast Asia local cooperation achievements
and discussing regional government cooperation beyond inter-state conflicts and the role of media
-Positive evaluation of NEAR’s role in Northeast Asian multilateral cooperation,
Expansion of its cooperation platform to Central Asia and ASEAN
To mark its 30th anniversary, the NEAR Secretariat hosted the 「NEAR 30th Anniversary Northeast Asia+2 Local Cooperation Forum」 on August 20 at the Korea Press Center in Seoul. The event brought together around 70 participants, including members of the diplomatic corps in Korea, officials from international organizations and regional governments, and journalists from South Korea, China, Japan, and Russia.
The forum was arranged to evaluate the achievements of exchanges and cooperation among Northeast Asian regional governments pursued by NEAR over the past three decades. It also aimed to explore future development directions for local cooperation of "Northeast Asia+2" which is its recent cooperation scope expansion into Central Asia and Southeast Asia.
In his opening remarks, NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin highlighted that NEAR—launched in 1996 with 29 regional governments across four countries such as South Korea, China, Japan, and Russia—has grown steadily over the past 30 years. He noted that through its recent "NEAR+2" policy, the association has broadened its scope to Central Asia and Southeast Asia, evolving into a multilateral exchange and cooperation platform encompassing 95 member governments across 10 countries. Secretary-General Lim added, "I hope this forum serves as an opportunity to review the achievements of the past 30 years, explore the development direction of NEAR and 'Northeast Asia+2' local cooperation amid rapidly changing international dynamics, and further strengthen the cooperation network for regional shared prosperity and peace."
Gyeongsangbuk-do Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs Yang Geum-hui, in her congratulatory remarks, said “Established in 1996, NEAR has continued to develop steadily over the past 30 years despite various challenges. It has now grown into an influential Northeast Asia+2 regional cooperation organization that extends beyond Northeast Asia to encompass Central Asia and ASEAN. As a key member government that fully funds the operation of the Secretariat, Gyeongsangbuk-do will continue to support NEAR so that it can lead Northeast Asia+2 regional cooperation and further develop into an even more influential international organization.”
In his keynote speech titled “Assessing NEAR’s Role in Northeast Asia+2 Local Cooperation and Future Development Measure,” Kim Suk, Executive Director of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation and former Ambassador of Korea to the United Nations, assessed the role and achievements of NEAR that has grown into a multilateral cooperation platform for regional governments in Northeast Asia over the past 30 years. He noted that “Even if Northeast Asia becomes embroiled in conflict and confrontation due to changing geopolitical circumstances, NEAR, as an international organization and a platform for multilateral exchanges and cooperation among local governments, can help mitigate conflicts between countries by sustaining mutual understanding, exchanges, and cooperation among regional governments, serving as a stepping stone toward improving relations in the future.”
At Session 1 titled “Policies and Future Development Measures for Northeast Asia+2 Local Cooperation,” presentations were delivered by Georgy Zinoviev, Ambassador of Russia to Korea; Sukhee Sukhbold, Ambassador of Mongolia to Korea; Lee Hee-sup, Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS); and Ha Tae-yeok, former Director of the International Relations Support Office of the Governors Association of Korea. Ambassador Dai Bing of China to Korea also participated via video. The speakers shared their views on their respective countries’ local cooperation policies, the role of NEAR, and ways to expand interregional cooperation in the future. At the end of the session, Cambodian Ambassador to Korea Khoun Phon Rattanak also shared his views on expanding local cooperation between Northeast Asia and ASEAN.
The diplomatic representatives agreed that interregional exchanges should continue even amid growing tensions among Northeast Asian countries and increasing regional uncertainty resulting from recent changes in the international situation. They also shared the view that NEAR, which is expanding the scope of its cooperation beyond Northeast Asia to Central and Southeast Asia, should further strengthen its role as a multilateral cooperation platform for promoting interregional exchanges and building mutual trust. (For detailed remarks by the respective ambassadors, please refer to the Korea Times article)
The following Session 2 featured a panel discussion among journalists from Korea, China, and Japan on the theme “Directions, Prospects, and Recommendations for Northeast Asia+2 Regional Cooperation from the Media’s Perspective,” moderated by Oh Young-hwan, former Consul General of Korea in Niigata and former Head of the JoongAng Ilbo Tokyo Bureau.
The panel included Akiko Horiyama, a columnist of The Mainichi Newspapers (former Seoul Bureau Chief); Zhu Hongyu (朱鸿钰), Journalist from China TV (Seoul Bureau Chief); Park Jin-beom, a KBS producer; Jung Min-seung, journalist for the Hankook Ilbo; and Koo Ja-ryong, journalist for Newsis. They examined the international situation in Northeast Asia and the environment for regional cooperation from the media’s perspective, and shared diverse views on the role of the media and the cooperation direction in expanding exchanges among regional governments and promoting mutual understanding among people across the region.
In particular, the participating journalists agreed that exchanges at the local-government and private-sector levels should continue regardless of political and diplomatic relations among countries. They also emphasized that the media should play a more active role in expanding mutual understanding and communication among communities across the region, so that the achievements of such exchanges and cooperation can be more widely shared with people in each country.
At the luncheon held following the forum, former NEAR Secretary-General Kim Ok-chae, International Relations Ambassador Park Cheol-joo of the Jeonnam–Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, and International Relations Ambassador Yoo Jeong-hyun of Chungcheongbuk-do offered toasts celebrating the 30th anniversary of NEAR and expressing their wishes for the continued development of exchanges and cooperation among regional governments in the years ahead.
The forum, held to mark the 30th anniversary of NEAR, provided an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of cooperation among regional governments in Northeast Asia over the past three decades and reaffirm that continued exchanges and cooperation among regional governments remain an important foundation for building regional trust and promoting shared prosperity, even amid growing tensions between countries and increasing international uncertainty. It also served as an important milestone for NEAR to build on its three decades of experience in multilateral cooperation and further develop into a “Northeast Asia+2” multilateral platform for regional government cooperation, connecting Northeast Asia with Central Asia and Southeast Asia.
[Press Releases Source and Link]
JoongAng Ilbo : https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/25454447
Newsis : https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20260820_0003756154
Shinailbo : https://www.shinailbo.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=5053194
Koreatimes : https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/20260822/envoys-call-for-northeast-asia-cooperation-to-weather-global-uncertainty