near news vol.67(eng)

Vol. 67

NEARNewsOne Northeast Asia Region, One Community NEARMarch-April 2016

The Association of Northeast Asia Regional

Governments

NEAR This Month NEAR Activities I Secretariat News I NEAR Member News I Schedule of NEAR Member

The 3rd Youth Essay Contest’s Award Receivers

Feature Report Contribution by Dispatched Officials - Matsuo Shuichiro (Dispatched Official from Shimane Prefecture, Japan)

- Groo Iana (Dispatched Official from Altai Territory, Russia)

Statue of Genghis Khan

Culture and Tourism Week (Kamchatka Territory, Russia)

NEAR News“NEAR News” was launched in 2005 to serve as a messenger between NEAR member regions and promote sharing of information. The bi-monthly magazine is published and distributed to NEAR members and other relevant organizations free of charge, containing information on NEAR activities, news from members, international issues, contributions and announcements (also available free at http://www.neargov.org). You can take part in creating NEAR News anytime by contributing articles and creative ideas (Contact the NEAR Secretariat).

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NEAR is...a representative regional diplomacy cooperation and international organization by 79 regional governments (73 member regions and 6 observers) in 6 Northeast Asian countries, including South Korea, China, Japan, Russia, North Korea, and Mongolia.Since the adoption of the NEAR Charter based on mutual prosperity, NEAR has carried out extensive exchange and cooperation projects in various fields ranging from economy and humanities exchange, education & cultural exchange, environment, disaster prevention, cross-border cooperation, science & technology, ocean & fisheries, tourism, mineral resources development & coordination, energy & climate change, women & children, bio-medical industry to agriculture.Partnering with and promoting joint projects by strengthening the exchange with international organizations such as AER (The Assembly of European Regions), the largest independent network of regional authorities in Europe, and R-20 (Regions of Climate Action), NEAR takes the lead in building an international cooperative network communicating with the world beyond Northeast Asia.

NEAR is open to all. Any local government located in the Northeast Asian region sharing the founding purpose of NEAR can join us through the NEAR General Assembly.

The Association of Northeast Asia Regional

Governments

Annual Report 2015 Distribution

The NEAR Secretariat is distributing the annual report at the beginning of every year based on the activities of the year. The annual Report 2015 includes information on NEAR Working committee, International Forum, Sub-Committees, Working-level Workshop and the 3rd Youth Essay Contest and Professional Internship Program of NEAR. The report is published in 6 different languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Russian and English) and

distributed to the members and relative organizations to promote further exchange and cooperation.

The 4th Youth Essay Contest

This year’s NEAR Youth Essay Contest will be held in April, not June. The contest is aimed at raising the youth’s interest in politics, society, economy, and culture in Northeast Asia. It also aims to promote exchange and cooperation among the member regions. The details of the Contest will be provided in March. NEAR is looking forward to even more participation and cooperation from the members.

Visit of the Delegation headed by Secretary General of the Great Hural (Parliament) from Mongolia

Seventeen Representatives of Mongolian Parliament visited NEAR in Pohang in February 19 as a part of visiting politically developed region for capacity

building of local governments. The Mongolian Delegate met the Secretary General Jun and the 16 secretariat.

At the visit, Secretary General Boldbaatar of the Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia mentioned that the Mongolian local governments have put much effort in strengthening the capacity of self-governing bodies in various ways and hope to build a closer relationship with NEAR that connects the local governments of the two countries.

Secretary-General Jun of NEAR responded that “As every regional government of Mongolia is a member of NEAR, the NEAR secretariat is willing to actively cooperate with local government bodies of Mongolia for prosperity through information exchange.”

Visit of Pohang High school Students

On January 14, students of the “Num-Go-Num-Eoh” (“Above and Beyond”) Club of Pohang High School visited NEAR. This visit was organized with the

NEAR Activities / Secretariat NewsNEAR This Month

Secretariat News

NEAR Activities

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Secretariat News / NEAR Member News

request of the teachers and club member students after their participation in the 3rd NEAR Youth Essay Contest in 2015. The students were welcomed by Secretary-General Jun and his opening speech, then were presented with the NEAR promotion video, and provided with the introduction of the association. The event was wrapped up with the Q&A Session. Through the visit, the students have shown increased interest and understanding of NEAR and the desire to actively participate in the upcoming international events organized by NEAR. The visiting students suggested more promotional activities be made for the essay contest via various means such as SNS, especially through the club student members.

Attending the 4th East Sea Rim International Symposium

The 4th East Sea Rim International Symposium was held on January 26 at the Conference Room in Pohang City Hall. This event was organized by East Sea Rim Development Forum co-hosted by Yeongnamilbo (a local press) and the Institute of International Affairs of Kyung Hee University under the theme of ‘Mobilities and Networks in East Sea Rim.’ Around 300 people including foreign and domestic experts from the regional governments, academic and media fields participated in the Symposium. The participants had a chance to learn about the issues and plans to build a network on land and sea in the East Sea Rim (Northeast Asia) and to seek for solutions to overcome. About 10 staff

from NEAR Secretariat office attended the Symposium as well. They listened to the presentations and the following discussion about cooperation and prosperity in Northeast Asia.

China - Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

2016 Yinchuan “One Belt, One Road” International Goods Fair

2016 Inchuan “One Belt, One Road” International Goods Fair is held from May 12 to 16 at Yinchuan Expo. This fair is hosted by Association of Trade and Fair in China, and organized by Center for International Affairs and Association for Trade in Yinchuan, China. The size of the exhibition hall is 20,000㎡ and 600 booths will be prepared. This fair will showcase various products of food and beverage, clothes, decoration items, and hand-made goods. It is expected that more than 100,000 people will visit the fair. During the fair, various programs such as 2016 Silk Road Economy Belt Local Food Fair, 2016 One Belt, One Road and Export Development Fair of the countries nearby will be organized.

(Contact: Center for International Exchange of Ningxia, Yang Xiao TongT. 86-13259605806, 86-951-5043638, E. [email protected])

China - Shandong Province

Weifang International Kite Festival

The 33rd International Kite Festival will be held from April 16 to 21 in Weifang City, China. The festival symbol has been released several days ago

NEAR Member News which was designed by Liang Wen Dao and Cheng Jing Liang Bing. This symbol is designed combining a monkey with the ocean. It has been a tradition of Weifang Kite Festival to select one from 12 zodiac animals as its mascot. Started in April, 1984, Weifang Kite Festival has been held 32 times, cohosted by General Administration of Sport, International Kite Federation, and Government of Weifang City. With decision made by the Chinese Government, International Kite Federation was founded by 16 representatives from the USA, Japan, the UK, Italy, and other countries. Now Weifang is considered to be the center of exchange of cultures of kite. Weifang International Kite Festival is one of the 4 main folk culture events along with Beijing Spring Festival at Ditan Park, Harbin Ice and Snow Festival and Zigong Lantern Festival. The World Kite Championship is the most influential event overall. At this Festival about 20 national and regional delegates will participate in the Kite-Flying Competition. The festival includes the Performance of Ten-Thousands People Flying Kite. Various programs concerning 3 main topics of kite, culture, and investment promotion of economy and trade are arranged in more than 10 key activities. Lastly, trying the local food and visiting Weifang Kite Museum is highly recommended as well. The museum is the biggest museum as it displays Chinese and foreign fine kites.

The Association of Northeast Asia Regional Governments 5

NEAR Member News

Japan - Yamagata Prefecture

International Cultural Exchange with Youth Cultural Exchange Team of Harbin, China

In Yamagata Prefecture, in 1993, a friendship agreement has been signed with Heilongjangsheng which consists of exchange in various fields of education, economy, technology, academia, culture and tourism. In 2011, a local office of Yamagata Prefecture in Harbin was moved to the the capital city in Heilongjangsheng, China and since then has been promoting exchanges between two regional governments. In January 16, ‘Youth Cultural Exchange Team of Harbin’ visited Yamagata Prefecture and had a concert with group of students in Yamagata Prefecture at ‘Hibiki Hall’. The youth exchange delegates of Harbin of 58 elementary, middle and high school students showed various performances of Traditional music instruments, chorus and dance and attracted many audiences. The students of Yamagata Prefecture also have played the traditional drums and sang folk songs. As the finale of the event, every participant sang a song named ‘Clap if you are Happy’ alternatively in Japanese and Chinese. All throughout the event, the participants were constantly smiling and the relationship of trade and exchange has been enriched between Yamagata Prefecture, Japan and Harbin City, China.

Japan - Tottori Prefecture

Tottori Prefecture Culture Day

Tottori Prefecture, Japan will hold “Tottori Culture day” in Primorsky Territory, Russia. “Tottori Culture Day” is held annually since 2010. Especially, since the year 2016 is the 25th anniversary of having friendship between Tottori Prefecture and Primorsky Russia, not only the cultural event but also a food fair using cuisine in Tottori will be organized. And Tottori Tourism Promotion will be held with different theme every day. Much participation will be appreciated.

Tottori Culture Day Date: 3 -8 March, 2016Venue: Vladivostok, Primorsky Territory, RussiaMain Events: Traditional Food Trial, Calligraphy PerformanceContact: Cultural Exchange International Affairs

South Korea - Jeollanam-do Province

Gwangyang International Maehwa Festival

From March 18 to 27, Gwangyang International Maehwa (apricot) Festival will be held for the 19th time. As the city of Gwangyang, to be specific, Seomjin Village in Daap-myeon will be covered with Maehwa (also known as apricot flower) around a million visitors come to the festival every year. During the season when Maehwa fully blooms for a month around 1.1 million people visit the city. The visitors can enjoy about 35 various programs, which include concerts, exhibitions, and cultural experience events all around the city. The festival has been upsized into a bigger event to show traditional performances and to exchange different cultures based on last year’s success as a worldwide festival. Such events as ‘Back to Old school (wearing school uniforms)’ and ‘Slow post delivery service (delivering letters written at the event a year later)’ are recommended to try. People can take some time to rest out of the busyness of daily life, walking along Maehwa Healing Course, a path with the full blossom in the beautiful nature. Purchasing regional specialty crops from the local people at the direct dealing market is also possible.

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NEAR Member News

South Korea - Gyeongsangbuk-do Province

Cheongsong, Holding Ice-Climbing World Cup 2016 and Re-selected as a Host for the Next Season

Cheongsong hosted the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour and the Asian Championships from January 16 to 17 starting with the Opening Ceremony on the 15th. At this Championship, 102 world’s top athletes from 18 countries including Korean National team participated. Starting this year, the Championship was held at the worlds’ first permanent Ice-Climbing stadium. The ice-climbing game is divided into two parts: Lead and Speed. Mr. Park Hee Yong won the first place at the Men’s Lead final, and Ms. Tolokonina Maria topped the Women’s Speed. Ice-Climbing World Cup has been held in 3 to 4 times a year mainly in Europe. Besides European countries, Choengsong, Korea is the only place which has hosted Ice Climbing World Cup since 2011. Cheongsong has been once again selected as the host for the game from 2016 to 2020.

Russia - Altai Prefecture

Looking Closer with 'Numbers' at Winter in Altai

Last December, the second festival was held in 5 cities and 8 regions in Altai Prefecture and over twenty thousand visitors came to Altai, Russia. 5 different lectures about tourism on biology and roundtable discussions, 4 fairs and 4 contest, 2 special events of ‘Snowman Building’ and ‘Dumpling Making Contest’ were held. Dumplings’ 5 Festivals such as ‘Russia Samovar Festival’ and ‘Cabbage Roll Festival’, 6 master-classes, 6 cultural entertainment programs and 22 sports programs were also organized. Over 3,000 visitors came to the Lake of Swan, Soviet Area to watch the opening ceremony including parade, and over 12,000 people were present at Kart K2 (a horse racetrack) in Barnaul, 10,000 people to the raffle event.

From Kazakhstan and Italy, the chairman of youth Alpine Ski contest committee came to the opening ceremony of Alpine Ski and Snowboard Championship in Belokurikha in Altai Prefecture, and the Director of Center for Tourism and Information in Kazakhstan attended various festivals as well. Lastly, Igor Levitin, the presidential adviser of Russia also came to the festival.

Over 300 people attended to the programs related to education and business. On the first day of the festival, famous photographers, tourists and bilologists attended the lectures. Scholars from Altai Territory, Irkutsk Region, and Khabarovsk Territory attended roundtable discussions for biology tourism development. Scholars and representatives from Altai Territory had meetings about tourism and technology and entertainment development at Altai National Culture Research Center. Representatives of 43 local and central media came to the festival. 68 craft artisans were able to display their own brands and goods at Barnaul Exhibition.

The director of Center for Tourism in Altai has mentioned that in quantitative measures, the number of participants, partners and visitors has been increased. Meanwhile, the festival itself has been more famous as the places taken and kinds of sports included are increased as well. While he admitted that the results are important to observe, planning well for the upcoming the Winter Festival 2016 is just as important.


NEAR NEWS Vol. 678

Schedule of NEAR Member Schedule of NEAR Member

Region : Tottori Prefecture (JP)Event : Tottori Marathon 2016When : Mar.13Where : Tottori CityContact : Sports Promotion, Regional Promotion Division, Tottori Prefecture (T) +81-857-26-7919

Region : Kamchatka Territory (RU)Event : International Ski Competition ‘Avachinsky Ski Marathon’ When : Apr.17Where : KamchatkaContact : Sports and Youth Policy Division, Kamchatka Prefecture (E) [email protected]

Region : The NEAR SecretariatEvent : The NEAR Working-level Workshop 2016When : Apr. 27-29Where : Pohang City, Gyeonsangbuk-do ProvinceContact : NEAR Secretariat Office (T)+82-223-2324

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Region : Hyogo Prefecture (JP)Event : The 14th Sub-Committee on Disaster PreventionWhen : Mar. 7-10Where : Kobe City, Hyogo PrefecutreContact : International Affairs Division, Hyogo Prefecture (T) +81-78-362-9870 (F) +81-78-362-9914


Schedule of NEAR Member

Region : Khuvsgul Province (MN)Event : Ice FestivalWhen : Mar.2-3Where : Khuvsgul LakeContact : Social Development Division Khuvsgul Province (T) +976-70388184 (E) [email protected]

Region : Khabarovsk Territory (RU)Event : Food Industry FairWhen : Mar.3-6Where : Khabarovsk CityContact : Khabarovsk International Fair

Region : Tottori Prefecture (JP)Event : Tottori Culture DayWhen : Mar.3-8Where : VladibostokContact : Domestic and International Affairs Division, Tottori Prefecture (T)+81-857-26-7240 (E)[email protected]

Region : Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (KR)Event : The 3rd International Electric Vehicle ExpoWhen : Mar.18-3.24Where : Jeju CityContact : Department of Energy and Industry Energy, Jeju-special Self-Governing Province (T) +82-064-710-2611

Region : Jeollanam-do Province (KR)Event : Gwangyang International Maehwa FestivallWhen : Mar.18-3.27Where : Gwangyang CityContact : Gwangyang City (T) +82-97-3714, 3715. 3715

Region : Gyeongsangnam-do Province (KR)Event : Goseong Dinosaur World Expo 2016When : Apr.1-6.12Where : Danghangpo Tourist Center and Sangjokam County Park, Gyeongsangnam-doContact : Courtesy of Goseong Dinosaur World Expo Organizing Committee (T) +82-55-670-3812-4

Region : Daegu Metropolitan City (KR)Event : International Textile Fair 2016When : Mar.9-11Where : Daegu EXCOContact : PID Secretariat (T) +82-53-560-6520 http://www.previewin.com/

Region : Niigata Prefecture (JP)Event : Niigata Sake Fair 2016When : Mar.12-13Where : Niigata CityContact : Niigata Sake Brewer’s Association (T) +81-25-229-1218 (F) +81-25-229-1220

Region : Daegu Metropolitan City (KR)Event : 13rd International Green Energy ExpoWhen : Apr.6-8Where : Daegu EXCOContact : Green Energy Expo Secretariat Office (T) +82-53-601-5371 http://www.energyexpo.co.kr/kor/

Region : Krasnoyarsk Region [RU]Event : Exhibition-Forum ‘Oil, Gas, and Chemistry’When : Apr.13-15Where : Krasnoyarsk CityContact : Department of Culture, Krasnoyarsk (Т) +7 (391) 249-34-84 (E) [email protected] (E) [email protected]

Region : Krasnoyarsk (RU)Event : YENISEY SPECIALIZED EXHIBITIONWhen : Apr.7-9Where : Krasnoyarsk CityContact : Department of Culture, Krasnoyarsk (Т) +7 (391) 249-34-84 (E) [email protected], (E) [email protected]

Region : Daegu Metropolitan City (KR)Event : 15th Daegu International Optical ShowWhen : Apr.21-23Where : Daegu EXCOContact : DIOPS Secretariat (T) +82-53-350-7830

Region : Primorsky Territory (RU) Event : The 23rd Architecture Exhibition“City”When : Apr.27-29Where : VladibostokContact : Division of City Construction, Primorsky Territory (Т) +7 423 220 54 89 [email protected] DALEXPOCENTER (Т) +7 423 2200 418 [email protected]

Region : Kamchatka Territory (RU)Event : International Cross-Country Ski CompetitionWhen : Apr.22-24Where : Edelweiss Ski HillContact : Division of Sports and Youth Policy of Kamchatka Prefecture (E)[email protected]

Region : Altai Territory (RU)Event : International Forum on Tourism, “VISIT ALTAI”When : Apr.22-May.1Where : Altai TerritoryContact : Division of Tourism, Leisure, and International Relations of Altai (Т/F) +7-3852-20-10-31 (E)[email protected] (E)[email protected]

Region : Shandong Province (CN)Event : International Kite FestivalWhen : Apr.16-21Where : Weifang CityContact : Weifang International Kite Festival Office (Chinese) (T) +86 -536-8096886 (F) +86-536-8096857

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The effectiveness of culture is cross-time and cross-space and cross effect boundaries.

Nowadays, we are familiar with visiting and studying abroad as well as imitating the UN General Assembly, during which students from different countries could introduce their cultures and experience exotic atmosphere. The world we are living is like a colorful and beautiful village.

Nowadays, there are exotic cultures around us. During the May Day Festival, Dongying City held the Yellow River Delta International Marathon. The session attracted tens of thousands of athletes from home and abroad gathered in the City. After finishing my marathon race, I became a volunteer providing English language service for the athletes. One team made of 8 foreigners impressed me most. The members of the team were united for their love of sports. During our discussion, I asked them about their opinion on China. I was deeply impressed by the words of an Ireland aunt: China and Ireland, to some extent are the same for there are buildings of

exotic style as well as of traditional Chinese style. In Ireland, there are also buildings of exotic style.

With the development of globalization especially the learning of a second language, human beings have benefited a lot in cultural exchange and development. There are more and more students studying abroad and experiencing different cultures. Meanwhile, with a series of reality TV shows such as We are Young (a program in which students from Australia and China came to the other’s country for learning and experiencing) cultures could be exchanged and broadcasted much better.

However, the colorful cultural exchange mentioned above could be experienced only by a part of the people in the world. There are also people suffering from wars, poverty and backward in some countries and areas, which have become an important factors preventing globalization. Based on the precondition of respecting the culture and tradition of every countries and districts, we shall get together to discuss solutions on such issues as human rights, poverty and technology, thus to realize globalization. With no military forces in a

The NEAR Secretariat held the 3rd Youth Essay Contest in 2015. The contest aims to promote exchange and cooperation among the member regions. NEAR News is introducing award-winning essays from each country.

Wang Ruoyu Class of 2013, Dongying Municipal Experimental School

[ CHIN

A]

harmonious world, cultures of different countries as well as the world economy can be prosperous.

In the fast developing world, every country and its people strives to be stronger and independent, during which process different cultures are exchanged and broadcasted. As a teenager, we should try our best to study hard and improve ourselves, thus to make contributions to the development of our nation as well as the cultural exchange and globalization.


Promoting Cultural Exchange and Creating a Harmonious World

Youth Essay

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This being the second time the culture exchange occurred with Korea, we had the opportunity to revisit the ‘earthly environmental issues’ again. With the new way of international exchange developed, middle and high school students from Japan and Korea are able to meet and communicate with each other. With hardly any experience before, cleaning up litter on beaches was a great and meaningful time for me.

While cleaning the beaches, we came across vast amounts of trash such as empty bottles and cans. Most of the trash drifted in from Japan and Korea.

We sorted through all of the trash to pick out the dangerous ones. It was certainly pleasing to witness the beach became a much cleaner beach after we had completed our work. Now, I find the culture exchange is only possible since everyone has the right to enjoy a life pursuant of health and culture.

As a Japanese citizen, I am very proud of my

country’s spirit which values our nation’s law and rules. I believe that the Constitution itself is important since it only coveys the right values.

After the cleaning up the beach, we rode our bus for our next schedule which was noodle-making. Although the process was slightly different from the Japanese way, it was still very meaningful since all of the students cooperate with each other. It was also fun since we got to show off how much we improved in making noodles since last year. While it was important for the noodles to be tasty, cooperation and building stronger ties among the students was very critical. I think that the relationship between Korea and Japan will become deeper if the youth cooperate with each.

This meeting was a successful event for cultural exchange. The experiencing cooperation with the

‘One for all, all for one’ spirit will certainly prove to be an important source of one’s strength in life.

As the program was coming to an end, I have found great respect for Koreans. It was very fascinating to find how passionately Koreans can work whenever they had to produce results since they were usually were quite laid back most of the time. I was reminded of the cool-headed, proactive, and energetic nature of Korean students.

I admire the positive attitude of Korean people. I was very impressed when I found some Korean students who know how to speak Japanese. For orientations, all of us had to introduce ourselves and that was when I learned about the fact that some Korean students were studying Japanese. This struck me as something which Japanese students should learn from Korean students. I also want to learn and study more of Korean so that I can communicate in Korean. Regardless of both languages sharing

Soda Hazuki 2nd Grade,Izumo Nishi High school

[ JAPA

N]

similar vocabularies, Korean is certainly more difficult to master, especially the pronunciations. However, I find learning Korean more fun than Japanese. If I am confident that by taking more Korean classes at the Institute of International Exchange in Shimane Prefecture, I will be able to write in Korean. The meetings taught me that I should not hesitate in taking on challenges and tell myself that ‘I will never know, if I don’t try it’ instead of telling myself that ‘I probably not be able to do it.’

I am currently a member of the ‘Inter-act’ club at my high school. I find participating in this club to be very meaningful since I have many opportunities to serve and help other people. I believe I have gained the strength to overcome any future hardships in my life by serving others.

Obstacles are bound to appear in my life however I will not easily give up. Instead I will face them by having self-confidence and strong belief in my current self. People’s judgement is not that important to me because I am the one who determines my life, not others. Through this meeting, I was not only reminded of all the things that I needed to improve, but also saw the problems between Korea and Japan from another perspective. I also expect more exchanges between the two countries to happen in the upcoming future.


What I felt from the culture exchangewith Korean students


I experienced something which I cannot forget still today. I was sent to China as the first participant of the Korea-China Youth Special Exchange Program in 2014. As president of the international exchange activities club, I was becoming interested in such exchange programs. While preparing for the club’s upcoming year, I learned about the program and it certainly caught my attention. I eventually applied for it.

We scheduled to spend our first day in Seoul for training, and then spend following eight days in China. There was much preparation involved. The team traveling to China had to research day and night to complete the group assignments, and read multiple books in order to understand the Chinese people better. I personally met a friend who is currently studying in China and talk about China and Korea. I also read the book ‘Jungle Manli (the Great Jungle)’, and developed a strong interest in the change and development of China prior to the actual visit. China was more dynamic and grander than the book.

The first destination which our team visited was Dalian in Liaoning Province. The event organizing team welcomed us an opening dinner. That evening, we were warmly welcomed with a speech and spectacular performances. In response, our team performed break-dancing and Korean traditional dance performances.

Dream Search through Cultural Exchanges

Our activities were largely focused on experiencing the Chinese culture. Each time we visited colleges, we watched all kinds of shows ranging from the very renowned Chinese opera to the performances of the minority groups. Another element which drew my interest in the program was the city of Beijing and its mesmerizing image. If Dailan was simply modern and urban, Beijing seemed to possess both tradition and modern livelihood. From Tiananmen, the Olympic Stadium could be easily spotted nearby, along with several tall skyscraper luxurious hotels and marketplaces in the streets of Beijing. Of all the architecture, I especially liked the palace as it was displayed its very own beauty as well as conveyed the long history of the palace. Overall, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the sites wherever I visited in China since I could find both similarity and difference in some sense from Korea.

As anticipated, our time to communicate and meet face-to-face with people was the best experience out of the entire trip. Our encounters with the Libuyang family in Benxi, a local village in Dailan, as well as with the students from Dalian University of Foreign Languages and Beijing International Studies University, and even the people whom we merely bumped into were all very precious. We were very grateful since everyone we me was nice to us and showed great interest in our home country.

Our encounters with the local people of China made me realize that borders are merely just lines on a map which outlines the physical dimensions of nations. I felt a deep conviction about the important of communicating with other and accepting which was very meaningful and delightful. Perhaps this is the reason why I felt so happy even on the flight back to Korea, or in Gyeongju, my hometown, whenever I relived the memories of this trip to China.

The China trip was meaningful not only because I made friends overseas, but also since my experienced a change in the why I think. The first change was about dealing with challenges. Having brought up at a famous tourist destination in Korea, I always had a vision of traveling the world. Switching between my poor English and Chinese, I introduced my hometown,

Eom Yoon-ju3rd Grade, Gyeongju Girl’s High school

[ KO

REA]

Gyeongju. This allowed me to find another aspect of myself and to gain more self-confidence. Through this program I was able to take a step closer to my dreams. The second change was about the notion of

‘coexistence of diversity’. It is also a value which I strive to live for in my life. While watching over fifty ethnic groups perform in China, it occurred to me that perhaps China strikes us as so mesmerizing was primarily due to its vast cultural diversity and the unique energy and beauty from each group. I also noticed that Chinese people are proud of their culture, and I assumed that it came from the long history of China. Now I am convinced that the engine for economic development may come from the ‘possibility from the diversity.’ As each country develops this sentiment of value towards diversity and have an attitude of understanding, the world will become a better place, I believe.

Furthermore, I started having questions about coexistence on earth. Although the physical barriers were rid of between nations, there still exist invisible divisions in the 21st century. Sometimes these invisible divisions may results in tensions that escalate into serious problems such as wars or terror. As a youth, I began to wonder about the ways I can contribute to the mission of keeping world peace and bringing prosperity? Having participated in the cultural exchange, I believe that the answer may just be to foster a

‘mutual understanding’ based on tolerance and right view on history. Recently, the relationship between Korea and Japan has been too quite negative mainly because of the differing views upon history. In times like this, more efforts need to be made in improving the relationship. To do so, the both countries may try to increase the occasions of exchanging their culture. Through cultural exchanges without pursuing only one’s own interest, the shared mindset to coexisting as one body of ‘North East Asia’ is equally important as opening up to one another through culture exchanges. By extending invitations of cultural exchanges to other nations of China, Japan, Mongolia and Russia, it may just enhance the Northeast Asia’s identity as a united community.


NEAR NEWS Vol. 6712

I would like to share about the things I experienced through foreign culture exchange. I think of culture as an accomplishment of human beings. I also believe that culture is what recreates human beings. It is an important element that sustains society and a valuable gemstone that has been preserved for generations.

Three years ago, I have spent seven days during the summer vacation at youth camp in Tushkanchik located in Ergaki, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia with two teachers and fifteen students coming from Uvs Province, Mongolia.

As we arrived, we were served with some bread and salt, this was a Russian tradition for receiving VIP’s. And for few more days, we were able to see and learn more interesting things.

The camping area was surrounded by very beautiful nature. It was very interesting to see how Russian people greeted each other. Every night, they played disco music for Mongolian and Russian students to get closer by dancing together. The students also played many games.

Once my friend and I were standing when two Russian students sitting beside us got up from their seats, smiled and gave up their seats for us. We were touched by their attitude because, in Mongolia, it is not as common to give up one’s seat to the same-aged people as to the old.

ForeignCulture Exchange

We soon became close with the Russian friends. There was a time to perform each other’s art and culture. To show the Mongolian culture we have served dairy foods to the Russian friends, and performed songs and dances in our traditional costumes. We also introduced Uvs Aimag (Province) and Mongolia, and had a quiz show, ‘Who knows Mongolia well?’ and the Russian students actively participated. I also recited a poem named ‘My Hometown” by Natsagdorj, a famous poet in Mongolia, in the Russian language. The Russian students also performed a show. Despite the language barriers, we could unite through art and culture.

Other than art performances, various programs were prepared, and one of them was Sports Competition. We played basketball, volleyball, pingpong, and shooting games. While we were at the camping area, we went hiking to Ergaki Park, we walked along the hunter’s way and got to learn how to hunt and save the nature as we try living in their houses and huts.

As our time at the camp was coming to an end, all the camp participants became so emotional to leave Russia, some of us cried while we have our Russian friends hugs.

Now, I would also like to share my experience of traveling Kyzyl city, Republic of Tuva in Russia. Since Uvs Province of Mongolia shares the boarder with Republic of Tuva, there are many exchanges in various fields.

Baasankhuu Nominerdene 12th Grade, School #2, Ulaangom

[ MO

NG

OLIA]

I was awarded the first prize on Russian Language Olympiad held by the Republic of Tuva, and earned the ticket to visit Kyzyl city. Because I wanted to learn more about the social economy of Russia, I visited the national museum of the Republic of Tuva and was able to get much information about Tuva and Russian history and culture.

Even though our schedule in Tuva was short, it was still long enough to learn about the country. I find it very important to actually go to places in order to acquire the first-hand experiences. I would like to also suggest to the friends of my age. We need to learn about each other since we are living on the same planet. Ever since my friends and I participated in this camp held in Russia, we have been frequently making trips to Russia to participate in other summer camps. You can have a wider world perspective by meeting and communicating with students from other countries and cultures from an early age. Learning through meeting new people at an unfamiliar place can be considered as an important investment to enlarge one’s insight and knowledge. We are willing to learn about culture, history, economy and society of many other countries. Since we have big dreams, we strive to learn more about new things.

Lastly, I would like to recommend to my country’s fellow youth to learn as much as they could about other nation’s history, culture, economy and society, to set goals to become successful in the future and take action to achieve these goals.



“In the times of hardships, listen to the nature. A silent world rather than unecessesary words will bring you peace”

The earth not only dies because of atomic bombing but because of people’s ignorance and carelessness. If people remain ignorant and careless towards the earth, there might come a big natural disaster. If we keep pressing the earth to make a living space for all of the organisms, we might eventually break the system that the nature has made. Environmental protection is the responsibility of many nations, peoples and generations. I would also like to insist to the people living in the Northeast Asian countries including China, South and North Korea, and Japan that we shall worry about the ecosystem of this area.

Toxic smog, water supply decrease, radioactive contamination, desertification, and forest declination are considered to be the main environmental problems of this region. For example, Russia and China are cooperating in order to solve the problems, such as river contamination, desertification, and forest reduction, along their borders. Recently, China’s Xie Zhen Hua, Division Head of Ministry of Environmental Protection, has stated that “the rate of contamination of nature has been gradually getting worse these days.” China’s thermal power plants that burn through coal have been major cause behind China’s air pollution and global warming. Large number of automobiles cause harms to the environment because the air is polluted by the thick layer of gas. The Chinese scholars have proclaimed

Protecting the Environment in Northeast Asia as Remembering its Importance

‘A war against smog’ by taking actions for environmental protection; reduction of old cars emitting much of harmful substance; building electric plants that use natural gas.

Serious problems which are threatening the Asia-Pacifc countries are water contamination and decreasing of necessary resources which are biologically valuable. After an accident at a chemical plant in Jilin, located in Northeast China, in 2006, industry waste containing benzene compounds has been flowing from Songhua River into Amur River. This is a case that environmental disaster taken place in other countries can directly influence the far east region in Russia. Specifically, ever since Amur River has been contaminated, various species of fish in the region are disappearing nowadays.

Russia and China is jointly monitoring and researching on the water quality in order to solve the problem. Academic conferences are also held to promote the regional cooperation for environmental preservation as scholars from Khabarovsk Territory, Russia and Heilongjiang Province, China are gathering. In Korea, people use activated-sludge-process and take two terms of refining to maintain cleanliness of water.

South Korea is well-known for its advanced ‘Green Technology.’ Specifically, plants that use hydrogen fuel cells are built and the first Carbon Neutral Forest in Korea is formed that enables the nature remain clean over 10 years. A team of Chinese scholars have been jointly running a project called ‘Eco-friendly City’ in cooperation with Russia.

Some scholars have said that the environmental problems can be solved with the government’s intervention and help from international society. I think the governments and scholars need to pay attention to the opinions of environment protection activists. For example, in China, an international group of biologists are doing a research on the environmental protection.

We, as young students, do not want to only “watch”

Alina Arepyeva10th Grade,Asian Language Middle School #4

[ RU

SSIA]

from the sidelines. Students from my school often make the time to discuss about the environmental protection issues with other students in China and South Korea. We believe that fate of our planet is in our hands!

August 6 (Hiroshima) and 9 (Nagasaki) are the memorial days for the atomic-bomb victims. Since August 1, 1964, the memorial flame for the victims has been burning at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The tragedy of this city in Japan has given the lessons to people. A piece of mosaic showing

‘Nuclear-Free Earth’ has been placed on the wall in Khabarovsk College of Industry for years.

The major environmental problems that Japan currently faces is radiation. The aftermath of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has been lasting over 40 years. Contaminated substances from Fukushima flew into groundwater, then into the ocean, and caused a serious marine pollution. The Japanese Government has committed to providing a lifelong medical examination for the victims of Fukushima. Nuclear power plants emit radioactive waste unceasingly and the condition of water tank is monitored every day.

Human beings are not mere observers but a part of the nature. People cannot exist without the sunlight, soil, water, animals and plants. The citizens of Khabarovsk may have seen young people in the street wearing green t-shirts with the print of

“Environment Protection Activist”. They are associates to the Center of youth for environmental protection that often pick up the trash on street or in Amur River. An important responsibility for today’s youth may be a wise use of environmental resources encompassing conservation of nature and soil.


NEAR NEWS Vol. 6714

Protecting the Environment in Northeast Asia as Remembering its Importance

Let’s remem

ber the tragedy from atom

ic bombing in Japan!

Let’s save the earth altogether!

Paintings by Alina Arepyeva



Contribution by Dispatched Officials As of the end of March, two dispatched officials from each member country who have been taking an important role in the NEAR secretariat will return home. Mr. Matsuo Shuichiro from Shimane Prefecture, Japan and Ms. Groo Iana from Altai Territory, Russia are sharing their experiences and impressions on the Secretariat as working in NEAR.

In Honor of the Director-General Kim Sang-gil

In March 2015, a meeting was held for Japanese member regions and NEAR Secretariat to exchange opinions in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. I attended that meeting as a representative of NEAR Secretariat. At the meeting, the Director-General Kim Sang-gil deeply empathized with many of the issues and problems of NEAR discussed.

After the NEAR Delegation came back to the secretariat office from the meeting, the then Director-General Kim held a meeting among the Secretariat staff and delivered the minutes and shared his own opinions to the rest.

Japanese member regions still see the then Director-General Kim with very high regards for his willingness to take responsibilities and make immediate changes when facing problems; However, he only worked for a short term of six months at NEAR. It was very impressive for all of us in the Secretariat to see that even at the farewell party, he passionately stressed that NEAR shall keep trying to solve the problems it faces.

Still there are some issues which Director-General Kim addressed but are not yet solved. At the 10th Working Committee Meeting, held in Irkutsk, in October, 2015, Shimane Prefecture in Japan presented on the following topics and solutions:

(1) Decreasing of the participation rate to the meetings and events;(2) Projects without permission of the other member regions;(3) Lack of Transparency in finance; and(4) Inefficient ways of holding events burdening high cost.

Adding to that, a lack of prior communication is another issue to consider. For example, because meeting agendas were not discussed enough prior to the meetings, the attendees often felt unclear or confused during discussion time. For the future development of NEAR, we the Secretariats shall follow the examples of Director-General Kim and take problem solving more seriously and make improvements.

As of March this year, my term as a Dispatched Official to NEAR will end. I would like to deliver my thanks to all NEAR Secretariat members that have been great co-workers, especially to Secretary-General Jun Jae-won and the Japan Expert Lee Myeong-eun. To Jigok, Pohang, I would also like to give my compliments for being a wonderful place to live and work in. I personally believe that a living environment as excellent like here would be very difficult to find in both Korea and Japan. Once again, I would like to deliver my gratitude to the people of Pohang City, Geongsangbuk-do Province in South Korea for being a

‘sweet home’ for my family for two years.

Dispatched Offi cial from Shimane Prefecture, JapanMatsuo Shuichiro

My Life in Korea

Contribution by Dispatched OfficialsFeature Report

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Dispatched Offi cial from Altai Territory, Russia

Groo Iana

Contribution by Dispatched Officials

Ivan Bunin, a famous Russian Author, once said that “A man is made happy by three things: love, interesting work and the opportunity to travel.”

Much like this, I was surprised with a very special opportunity to work in South Korea at an international organization. The thought of living in a unfamiliar foreign country for a whole year was certainly exciting. Now looking back at the year, I find that I have gained many priceless experiences.

How can I express the feelings that I had when I was sent to Korea without knowing any Korean and had to live there? Well it certainly felt like I had experienced a second birth however it even noticing it. Situated in an environment that is filled a unfamiliar language, I felt as if I had become a child and needed to go back to school to relearn everything.

My first impression of Korea was very good. I was very impressed by its excellent infrastructure, modern and futuristic architecture, the beauty of nature, people’s living standards, and a clean and comfortable environment. The most remarkable and impressive success of Korea was its ability to rebuild and sustain its fast economic growth after the devastating war with the North.

While working at the secretariat, I was able to visit important historical places and come across the local culture. I visited Korea’s old temples, buildings, traditional home and unbelievably picturesque national parks.



My year in Korea, I was not only about learning how to eat with using chopsticks but also about experiencing Korean people’s entire lifestyle and personalities

There are Dispatched Officials who were sent from Japan, china and Mongolia working at the secretariat’s office. Whenever I have conversations with them, I felt as if I was like reading new books. That is because all of them have their own mindsets, visions, and cultures. To be honest, it was rather challenging to work and live in Korea. Such challenges, however, taught us to be more accepting and understanding. Working in a team with such cultural diversity requires a lot of hard work on top of play. Moreover, in order to produce be successful results, daily efforts to understand each other

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is a necessity. The key here is not communicating in the same language but rather establishing a common goal and having everyone invest a lot of effort toward that goal.

In a few months, I will be returning back to Russia with many precious experiences and insights. In Korea, I have gained precious experience, widened my perspective, and acquired new knowledge and technology. Furthermore, I have made friends from many different countries whom I can boast about for hours on. They have helped me to grow more spiritually and become wiser.

I am truly grateful to NEAR and the secretariat office for granted me this opportunity and welcoming me. Furthermore, I deeply thank all members regions for their support and cooperation. I wish you all peace, happiness, love and prosperity!


The Association of Northeast Asia Regional Governments

The Association of Northeast Asia Regional Governments (37668) 3F Pohang Technopark, #394 Jigok-ro (#601 Jigok-dong), Namgu, Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do, ROKT. +82-54-223-2318 F. +82-54-223-2309 E-mail [email protected] Website www.neargov.org

near news vol.67(eng)

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