On January 8, Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin visited the Seoul Metropolitan City Hall and met with Ambassador Koo Hong-seok to introduce NEAR, the largest multilateral exchange platform among metropolitan local governments in Northeast Asia.

Mr. Lim noted that Seoul is the only one of the 17 metropolitan local governments in Korea that has not joined NEAR, and expressed his hope that Seoul will join NEAR and play a leading role in regional cooperation in Northeast Asia, as it plays a leading role in international cooperation among local governments in Korea.

In response, Mr. Koo evaluated the role of NEAR in local government cooperation in Northeast Asia and explained the international organizations such as CITYNET and WeGo, operated by Seoul, and said that Seoul will try to join NEAR to the extent possible, as there are various constraints at present.