On February 11, Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin paid a visit to Kim Sook, former Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations and Executive Director of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, in Seoul.
Mr. Lim explained NEAR's recent developments and the major events planned for this year, such as the NEAR Member Workshop and the NEAR General Assembly, and requested continued interest and support from the Ban Ki-moon Foundation. In particular, he requested a video message from former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the upcoming 15th NEAR General Assembly, scheduled to take place in Liaoning Province, China, in June this year.
In response, Mr. Kim stated that since its establishment, NEAR has continuously expanded its outreach, and its role as a platform for cooperation among Northeast Asian regional governments has been steadily growing. He graciously accepted Mr. Lim’s request for a video message from Mr. Ban Ki-moon for the 15th NEAR General Assembly in June and expressed his commitment to continuously supporting NEAR's activities.
Currently, as the Executive Director of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, Mr. Kim is working to promote the values of global diversity, integration, coexistence, and building a better future, which are the founding principles of the organization. He is actively engaging in various activities, including academic research and policy proposals.