NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin attended TCS Farewell and Welcome Reception 2026 which was held at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on August 28 (Fri).
Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin met incoming TCS Secretary-General Tatsushi Nishioka(Japanese) and Deputies Secretary-General Li Jing(Chinese) and Kim Han-kyu(Korean) and congratulated their inauguration.
He briefly introduced NEAR and the close cooperation between the NEAR Secretariat and former TCS Secretaries-General, expressing hope that this strong cooperation will continue with the incoming Board.
He also appreciated outgoing Secretary-General Lee Hee-sup and Deputies Secretary-General Yan Liang and Tsushie Shuuji for their efforts to enhance cooperation among Korea, China and Japan and support they've shown for NEAR activities during their tenure.
Furthermore, he also introduced NEAR and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest with other attendees including Deputy Minister JEONG Ui-hye of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Deputy Chief of Mission Chujo Kazuo of the Japanese Embassy in Korea; Deputy Chief of Mission Bao Xuhui of the Chinese Embassy in Korea; Shin Bong-gil, former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Korea to India; Shogo Shunsuke, Director of the Japan Foundation Seoul; and Fujita Etsuo, Director of the Seoul Office of Crea.
The Farewell and Welcome Reception featured s farewell address by Lee Hee-sup, the outgoing TCS Secretary-General; an introduction of the incoming TCS consultative board; an inaugural address by the incoming TCS Secretary-General Tatsushi Nishioka; congratulatory remarks by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassies of China and Japan.
Meanwhile, three representatives from each of three countries-Korea, China and Japan-comprises the TCS consultative board with one Secretary-General and two Deputies Secretary-General. The position of Secretary-General rotates among the three countries, with Japan assuming the position this time, while Korea and China will serve as Deputies Secretary-General.