Chinese public officials, professors, NGO representatives, Asia Productivity Organization experts from 10 countries, etc trains at YU
Study the successful community development cases, field studies of Korea’s development history, etc
[November 29, 2015]
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Chinese training team poses for a photo after taking a field trip to POSCO.
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YU (President Noh Seok-kyun is solidifying its position as a central education and training institute to share the Saemaul Undong and Korea’s development experience. While there is a spreading trend to learn Korean around the world such as in Africa, South America, Southeast Asia and China, Saemaul training teams comprised of leaders from emerging countries are stepping in line to visit YU.
The International Development Cooperation Office (Director Choi Wae-chul) carried out a short-term Saemaul Undong training program for 14 leaders from all around China for 12 days from the 16th to the 27th. Members of this group came from not only Beijing, but also Chongqing, Nanjing, Kunming, Tianjin, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Jilin. Members included researchers from the Chinese Social Science Center, college professors, director-level public officials of provinces and regions, and presidents of NGOs.
At YU, they learned about the history and achievements of the Saemaul Undong, Korea’s economic development related to the Saemaul Undong, rural and regional development, leadership, health and medical system, afforestation, etc as they became familiar with the success knowhow of Saemaul development in various fields. They also visited POSCO, Samsung Electronics, President Park Chung Hee Restoration Hall in Gumi, Origin of the Saemaul Undong in Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk Techno Park, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Hahoe Village, Byeongsan Seowon, Hanji Experience Center, traditional markets, E-mart, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Dongdaemun Market, Lotte Department Store, various research institutes, industrial complexes, farms, etc to see with their own eyes the success cases, while also having the opportunity to experience the culture such as watching a Nanta performance.
YU International Development Cooperation Office Director (Vice-president) Choi Wae-chul, who oversaw the educational course, said, “Korea and China have been neighbors for millennia and interacted heavily in culture, society and economics, and even today, China is Korea’s biggest economic trading partner.” He added, “For the past 50 years, Korea found the growth engine called the Saemaul Undong with the belief of, ‘Just do it’ and ‘We can do it’ to achieve rapid growth that the international community calls a ‘miracle’. TY is putting forth its efforts to share such experience with the world.”
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APO member nation training team visiting Cheongo takes a photo in front of President Park Chung Hee’s statue
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Chinese Social Science Center researcher 리렌큉 said, “The YU Saemaul Undong training program is comprised of an excellent curriculum that includes high quality lectures and field lessons. I was able to realize the importance of hard work, self-dependency and cooperation, which is the basic spirit of the Saemaul Undong,” while adding, “In China, there was severe movement of people with the industrialization of the country so rural areas were unable to develop. I believe that Korea’s Saemaul Undong method will be of great help in the revival of rural China.”
The president of an NGO from Kunming and a member of the Inner Mongolia Chamber of Commerce from Tianjin also showed great interest in the Saemaul Undong asking if they could send additional people to receive education in the future at their own expense at YU and what kind of educational programs related to the Saemaul Undong are available.
In addition, the YU International Development Cooperation Center operated the ‘education program on sustainable regional development and Saemaul Undong’ for public officials and experts of member countries of the Asia Productivity Organization (APO).
Eleven public officials and experts in the regional development sector from 10 countries such as Cambodia, Fiji, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam participated. The event started on the 23rd with the orientation and country reports that shared the regional development status and pending issues of participating countries. It was followed by lectures and field work on the history and achievements of the Saemaul Undong, Korea’s rural development policies, water resource management, and afforestation to learn about Korea’s knowhow on successful regional development.
This training program that was held for elite working-level public officials and experts in the regional development sector for ten countries in Asia shared the Saemaul Undong, which was the core growth engine for the rapid growth of Korea, and actual experiences related to Korea’s regional development. It is expected that it will provide considerable help for establishing regional development policies and to promote their economies through this for Asian nations in the future.
Meanwhile, the YU International Development Cooperation Center, which was established for the purpose of short-term educational programs for leaders of emerging nations in July 2013, has conducted education, lectures and academic conferences on the Saemaul Undong, regional development, and tourism policy development of emerging countries to over 2,000 people from more than 60 countries.
