'Saemaul Studies Department' launching ceremony held at Enderun Colleges in the Philippines on the 22nd
Spreading Saemaul studies in the Philippines and constructed a base to spread the global Saemaul Undong
MOU with government councils, spreading Saemaul Undong in the Philippines
[January 29, 2016]
<On the 22nd, YU held the Saemaul Studies Department inauguration ceremony at Enderun Colleges in the Philippines.>
The global Saemaul Undong led by YU (President Noh Seok-kyun) is expected to take flight with the establishment of the world's first 'Saemaul Studies Department' in an overseas university.
YU held the Symposium and Inauguration Ceremony of the Department of Saemaul Studies and Economic Development at Enderun Colleges in Manila, Philippines on the 22nd. The first Saemaul Studies Department was established in a foreign university in the Philippines, thus providing an overseas based for the Saemaul Undong and a cornerstone to spread the global Saemaul Undong.
After being selected as an international cooperation leading university in June of 2013, YU pursued the dissemination of Saemaul studies in emerging countries and opening up degree programs in universities. In result, it received approval for the establishment of the Saemaul Studies Department in Enderun Colleges from the Ministry of Education in the Philippines in May of last year and recruited new students from June to officially launch the department.
Endereun Colleges is a new university that was established in the Philippines in 2005 and has been showing international success in the business administration sector such as hotel and restaurant management. This college focuses on practical and hands-on education and is known to be a college with the highest level of internationalization in the Philippines.
During this event on the 22nd, an inauguration ceremony for the launching of the Saemaul Studies Department at Enderun Colleges was held followed by an academic symposium for the dissemination of the Saemaul Undong in the Philippines. At this event were present Dean Ed Rodriguez, Board Director Jack Tuason, Philippines National Economic Development Agency (NEDA) Vice-minister Emmanuel Esguerra, Philippines Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) Chairman Isagani Serrano, National Youth Committee (NYC) Chairman Jose Cruz, Philippines Saemaul Undong Center Director of Iloilo Branch Mario Nillos, and other government figures, and professors, students and parents of Endereun Colleges for a total of 120 participants, showing their high level of interest for the establishment of the Saemaul studies. A number of Korean figures including Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Kim Jae-shin were also present.
YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul Dean Park Seung-woo (photo, left) who oversees the YU International Cooperation Leading University Project to install the Saemaul Studies Department in the Philippines and spread the Saemaul Undong throughout the Philippines said in his opening address, "I would like to thank everyone from Enderun Colleges and YU who helped established the Saemaul Studies Department in Enderun Colleges." He added, "Rather than stopping short as a diploma course, let's make the Saemaul Studies Department a place to disseminate the spirit and strategies of the Saemaul Undong throughout the Philippines and foster it into a center for the Saemaul Undong in the Philippines that educates provincial public employees and workers." Enderun Colleges Dean Rodriguez responded in his welcoming address, "I fully agree with Mr. Park Seung-woo," and added, "Enderun Colleges will play an active role for this in the future."
At the symposium following the ceremony, YU Vice-president Choi Wae-chul, who is in charge of the global Saemaul development network (GSDN), which is an international NGO for overcoming poverty and for regional development in emerging countries, made a keynote address titled 'Global joint prosperity by sharing Saemaul development', while Vice-minister Esguerra, PRRM Chair Serrano, Asia Pacific University Professor Kim Joon-gil, and YU Professor Han Dong-geun also participated in discussions.
At this event, students of the new Saemaul Studies Department sang the Saemaul song in Korean and received high praise. The 'Tuloy Choir' made up of youths from the street sang hand-in-hand a song about overcoming global poverty to congratulate the inauguration of the Saemaul Studies Department at Enderun Colleges in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, following the symposium, five institutes such as the League of Provinces of the Philippines, Iloilo Province, Leyte Province, PRRM and NYU signed MOUs to cooperate with YU and Enderun Colleges to spread the Saemaul Undong in the Philippines and foster regional development experts. With this MOU, it is expected that the Saemaul Undong will spread even further within the Philippines.
