- Record Attendance: The assembly saw an unprecedented turnout, with 52 member regions and 66 dignitaries at the director-general level and above.

- New Members: Gansu Province, China (80th member), and the Altai Republic, Russia (81st member) were welcomed into NEAR, expanding the organization's membership.

- Establishment of Subcommittees: NEAR introduced two vital subcommittees, the Subcommittee on Digital Economy and the Subcommittee on Energy Cooperation, highlighting its commitment to cutting-edge sectors.  

The 14th Northeast Asian Regional Governments (NEAR) General Assembly took place from October 24 to 26, 2023, at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center (UECO) and Ulsan City, themed "Our Future, Newly Together Northeast Asia." This assembly marked a historic event, boasting the largest-ever attendance with more than 150 representatives of 52 member regions from five member countries: China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Russia.

After the 2018 General Assembly in Hunan Province, China, the meeting resumed offline for the first time in five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agenda featured diverse activities, including the Multilateral Dialogue Among NEAR Member Heads and Vice-heads, an opening ceremony, plenary sessions (first and second sessions), Ulsan Declaration, boarding of Taehwa Ferry, and notable visits such as the industrial tour at Hyundai Motor Company and a local tour of Taehwa River National Garden on October 25 and 26, respectively.

The dialogue among heads and vice-heads of NEAR members involved 18 high-level officials at the vice-governor level and above, along with 30 officials at the director-general level. Their deliberations strengthened the commitment to regional cooperation in Northeast Asia, leading to the decision to regularize summit meetings at the local-government level.

The opening ceremony featured speeches by NEAR Chairperson KIM Doo-gyum, mayor of Ulsan Metropolitan City, and Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin. Congratulatory speeches were delivered by several dignitaries, including Governor LEE Cheol-woo of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and JIN Guowei, the next NEAR chairperson and vice governor of Liaoning Province, China. In addition, BATBAYAR Ariun-Erdene, governor of Bulgan Aimag, Mongolia; ZHANG Min, vice governor of Henan Province, China; MUKHIN Vsevolod, first deputy chairman of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia; and HAYASHI Rika, director-general of the Civic Affairs, Environment & Culture Department of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, read the congratulatory speech of the Governor of Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The assembly also received video congratulations from former UN Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon and Busan Mayor Park Hyeong-joon. Also there was a congratulatory letter from ZHAO Gang, governor of Shaanxi Province, China.

In his welcoming remarks, NEAR Chairperson KIM Doo-gyum said, "This is a crucial time for mutual cooperation and understanding to establish a framework for cooperation among local governments in Northeast Asia, along with exchange between countries. Let's make this 14th NEAR Assembly a new place of harmony to exchange policies."

In his congratulatory remarks, Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor LEE Cheol-woo said, "Gyeongsangbuk-do has been actively supporting the multilateral exchange and cooperation model that NEAR aims for, starting with the first NEAR Chair in 1996, locating the NEAR Secretariat in Pohang City, Gyeongsangbuk-do in 2005, and providing annual support for its operating costs." He continued, "We hope that the 14th NEAR General Assembly will be a venue for practical cooperation in various fields such as economy, environment, and culture." 

In the first session of the General Assembly, the outcome of the 13th Working Committee and the main activities of the NEAR Secretariat were reported, the agenda was reviewed and approved, new member regions were admitted (Gansu Province, China; Altai Republic, Russia), subcommittees were established (Subcommittee on Digital Economy to be coordinated by Liaoning Province, China; Subcommittee on Energy Cooperation to be coordinated by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China), and Liaoning Province, China was elected as the next chair to lead NEAR for the following two years.

In the second session of the General Assembly, Shimane Prefecture of Japan reported on the activities of the Subcommittee on Educational and Cultural Exchange, while Toyama Prefecture reported on the activities of the Subcommittee on Environment.  Member regions such as Shanxi Province of China, Sejong Special Self-Governing Province of Korea, Khovd Aimag of Mongolia, and Tomsk Region of Russia gave presentations.

Finally, the Ulsan Declaration outlined the NEAR members' commitment to enhancing exchange and cooperation in Northeast Asia, emphasizing initiatives such as separate NEAR governors' meetings, strengthened bilateral and multilateral local government cooperation, and the activation of subcommittees. Additionally, agreements for friendly exchange were signed between Ulsan Metropolitan City and Henan Province of China, as well as Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Liaoning Province, China, fostering collaboration in various fields.

"The 14th NEAR General Assembly was the largest ever in terms of the number of participating regions and high-level attendees, with 52 regions (39 offline and 13 online), 22 high officials at the vice-governor-level or higher (18 offline and 4 online), and 34 officials at the director-general level (30 offline and 4 online), for a total of 66 participants," said Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin.

He also added, “The event was also a major achievement in expanding NEAR's outreach and revitalizing its operations, with Gansu Province of China (80th) and the Altai Republic of Russia (81st) joining as new members, as well as the establishment of the Subcommittee on Digital Economy to be coordinated by Liaoning Province of China and the Subcommittee on Energy Cooperation to be coordinated by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China.  Above all, it is of great significance that despite the conflict between the central governments in the Northeast Asian region, many members attended the General Assembly to show solidarity and support for the mutual prosperity, exchange and cooperation of Northeast Asia."

The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments is a platform that promotes multilateral international exchange among local governments, with 81 metropolitan local governments from six countries in Northeast Asia. It was launched in in September 1996 by holding its inaugural general assembly in Gyeongju. In 2005, Gyeongsangbuk-do hosted the permanent secretariat, which is located in Pohang City, Korea.