NEAR NEAR Leading the Era of Northeast Asia 32 One of Kemerovo Region s native citizen Teleuts (See NEAR Member Tour, Kemerovo Region, Russia ) Special Contribution Nurturing Talents for the Development of Northeast Asia NEAR This Month NEAR Activities l Secretariat News l NEAR Member News Feature Report Feeling Near to Nature: Mongolian Traditional House Ger NEAR Member Tour Kemerovo Region, Russia Farewell Contribution
NEAR News NEAR Newsaims to become an official messenger of NEAR to deliver news and share information among members. It is a periodical newsletter containing contents on NEAR activities, member news, international issues, contributions, notification, etc. NEAR News is distributed to NEAR members and related institutions free of charge, and is also serviced online on the NEAR homepage NEAR News is open to anyone who is interested in Northeast Asia. If you have good contribution articles or creative ideas that you would like to run on the NEAR News, please contact the NEAR Secretariat. Yellow canola flowers, Jeju Island, Korea 2
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments NEAR NEAR NEAR is... an international organization founded by 29 government from four Northeast Asian countries, including South Korea, China, Japan, Russia, etc., in September 1996 in Gyeongju, South Korea. NEAR has adopted the Charter based on the ideology of coprosperity of Northeast Asia, and carried out extensive exchange and cooperation projects in various fields ranging from economy and trade, education & cultural exchanges, environment, disaster prevention, cross-border cooperation, science & technology, ocean & fisheries to tourism. With the participation of North Korea and Mongolia and accession of new member governments, NEAR is growing as a representative regional diplomacy and cooperative organization of Northeast Asia with 69 member governments from six countries. 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. 3
- Special Contribution Nurturing Talents for the Development of Northeast Asia Lee, Hyo Soo President of Yeongnam University, Korea With its ever-increasing share in the global economy, Northeast Asia has become one of the world s three major economic blocs along with EU and NAFTA today in terms of economic size and intraregional exchanges. Countries are expanding and intensifying international exchange and cooperation by establishing various types of intergovernmental cooperative mechanism such as multilateral cooperative frameworks, economic communities and free trade agreements. However, despite robust intra-regional trade, the level of integration among Northeast Asian countries is very low compared to that of EU or North America. There is a significantly growing need for establishing an economic community, but not much progress has been made yet due to political and historical factors such as bitterness of wars, ongoing territory disputes and different historical interpretation. Against this backdrop, it is very important for NEA universities to take initiative in promoting the development of Northeast Asia by nurturing and exchanging their talents in two aspects: First, in order for NEA to play a central role in the global economy, universities should have competitive edge over their counterparts in other regions in nurturing and supplying outstanding talents to the global market. Second, NEA universities should establish a mechanism of close mutual cooperation in educating their students, such as credit exchange, student exchange and joint degree system. In particular, operation of joint education programs in the fields of humanities and social sciences, including politics, history and culture will raise mutual understanding and contribute to setting up a NEA economic community in a substantial manner. I would like to propose that NEAR build up a Network for Nurturing NEA Talents (NNNT) and designate a base university for each NEAR member country. Member universities of NNNT can open a joint campus program where participating students visit each member country in rotation for a semester or two so that we can foster talents with global mind and sound perspective. Moreover, if base universities operate a joint internship program in cooperation with the business circle and regional governments, they will be able to raise practical human resources with specialized expertise on Northeast Asian economies as a whole. In order to successfully build up an economic community in NEA we need talents fostered in such kind of education system and once an economic community is established, demand for such human resources will significantly rise. 4
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments - NEAR This Month NEAR Activities The 8 th Sub-Committee on Disaster Prevention Held in Hyogo The 8 th Sub-Committee on Disaster Prevention was held on 9-12 March at JICA Hyogo International Center, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, with special focus on the seminar commemorating the 15 th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster. A number of local officials as well as 21 working-level representatives of 11 NEAR member regions from four countries and NEAR Secretariat delegation headed by Koo Hae Ill, Director of the Division of Planning & General Affairs participated. After the seminar, participants made an inspection visit to Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution and E-Defense (Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center) among other places, which raised awareness of the importance of a persistent, long-term disaster prevention system and psychological treatment for people traumatized by aftershocks as well as immediate response to the earthquake. Hyogo government recommends its citizens to have the following in their emergency kits: flashlight with batteries, rope, drinking water in pet bottles, canned food, pens, pencils, medicines, gloves and etc. Secretariat News The 2010 NEAR Working-level Workshop The 2010 NEAR Working-level Workshop is scheduled for 25-27 May in Gyeongju City to raise solidarity and identify common interests among NEAR members and to share ideas in preparation for the upcoming NEAR-AER Joint World Forum. Being participated by working-level delegations from each member regional government, the meeting will be composed of the 2009 Sub-Committee activity report, the report of 2010 projects of the Secretariat and presentations by regional representatives. It will provide a platform to strengthen network and enhance friendship among working-level officials. Secretary General Attended Korea-Thailand Buddhist Culture Forum 2010 NEAR Secretary General Lee, Hae Doo attended the Korea-Thailand Buddhist Culture Forum 2010 held from 31 March to 2 April in Gyeongju, a Korean city famous for Buddhist heritages from the ancient Silla Dynasty s patronage of Buddhism. The event, the 1 st of its kind between the two countries of which Mr. Lee participated as a panelist, aims to support the 2010 Bangkok-Gyeongju World Culture Expo scheduled for end of October this year in Bangkok by increasing a better understanding of the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism in Korea and the Hinayana tradition of Buddhism in Thailand. 5
- NEAR This Month Secretariat Met with the Sakhalin Delegation to Discuss Cooperation On March 21, the delegation of Sakhalin Region headed by Ekaterina Kotova, the 1 st Deputy of Economic Development Minister of Sakhalin Region, visited Korea and met with Lee Si Won, the director of international cooperation division of NEAR Secretariat on March 24 to request support for the Sakhalin Investment Seminar soon to be held in Seoul. Beginning from 31 March, the Moscow Company Polylogue starts to prepare the region s investment presentation scheduled for 14-15 April in Grand Hayat Hotel Seoul. NEAR Member News Heilongjiang Province - China The 26 th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival Kicks Off China s one of the greatest ice artwork festivals raised its curtain on January 5, attracting hundreds of thousands of local people and visitors from all over the world. After an opening ceremony dedicated to the 10 th anniversary of the 26 th Harbin Int l Ice and Snow Festival, a big television show was shown under the title A song sung in unison by the whole world while a lot of celebrities and famous people performed singing about snow and ice. This festival will last for 3 months, featuring more than 100 events in 5 categories: tourism, art, sports, trade and culture. To promote more participation by ordinary people, organizers especially planned events, such as Ice comes into the local community and People walk around the ice palace. Hubei Province - China South Korea to Open Consulate in Wuhan On 2 March, the South Korean Consulate General Ahn Chi Yeon, Consul Jeon Seong Jin and 2 consul employees in Wuhan visited the Foreign Affairs Office of Hubei Province to discuss and review many issues concerning the opening of the Consulate General of Korea in Wuhan, capital city of Hubei. Participants, including officials in the Asia division of the Foreign Affairs Office and officers in charge of foreign consulates and international organizations in China exchanged ideas on distribution of works after the appointment of General Consul, location of the Consulate, employment of local workers and customs clearance procedure among many other issues. It is the first official meeting between the Hubei Government and the South Korean Consulate in Wuhan, which served as the beginning for opening the South Korean Consulate. 6
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments Aomori Prefecture - Japan Let s Gather the Power of Aomori! - Tohoku Shinkansen to Be Extended to Shin - Aomori An extension of the Tohoku Shinkansen, a Japanese high-speed rail line connecting Tokyo with Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture is scheduled to open in December 2010. The extension between Hachinohe and Shin-Aomori in the city of Aomori, the prefecture s capital will reduce the travel time from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori to 3 hr. and 20 min., which is now 3 hr. and 59 min. for the total length of 675 km because of transfers between Shinkansen and conventional lines. The introduction of a new series of bullet trains will further increase the line speed as well. The Aomori Government expects the remarkable increase in floating population to be caused by the opening of the line will significantly influence the local community, and considers it as a huge opportunity to create ripple effects on various sectors, including tourism, industry, employment and etc. Under the slogan, Let s gather the power of Aomori, prefectural citizens also have actively joined in the effort by participating in various government-led projects to maximize the effect. 7
- NEAR This Month Niigata Prefecture - Japan 2010 Northeast Asia International Conference for Economic Development in Niigata The 2010 Northeast Asia International Conference for Economic Development in Niigata was held on January 25-26 in Toki Messe, Niigata City. The conference is an annual meeting aimed at identifying what needs to be done for the sustainable development of Northeast Asia and discussing how to transfer them into policy action. The event, the 19 th of its kind, was attended by 280 participants including 70 foreign guests who actively discussed under various themes, including logistics, environment and energy cooperation, food industry cluster and the post-crisis economy of the Northeast Asian region. Niigata will continue to remain committed to promoting cooperation in Northeast Asia. Gyeongsangbuk-do Province - Korea Gyeongbuk Opens On-line Mentoring Service for Multi-cultural Families Gyeongsangbuk-do rolled up its sleeves to help the children of multi-cultural families, one of the socio-culturally marginalized groups in Korea. Concluding an agreement with the Ministry of Justice and SK Telecom, one of the nation s largest wireless operators, on February 17, the province launched the Gyeongsangbuk-do Multi-cultural Family On-line Mentoring Project in cooperation with the central government, companies, NGOs and other regional governments. The service provides one-on-one mentoring by linking mentors (volunteer university students) and mentees (children from multi cultural families) through an online video education system. Young children will be able to get help and counseling support in learning elementary subjects including Korean language and participate in various cultural activities as well. For this project, which is scheduled for the period from March to November, 97 students of the local Yeongnam University and 3 students from interracial families will be selected as mentors to provide counseling and online customized education service. 8
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments Jeju Special Self-governing Province - Korea The 2 nd Jeju World Natural Heritage International Photo Competition Organized by : Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Dong-A Ilbo Daily Theme : Embrace Jeju Island - The nature of Jeju - landscape and ecology (flora & fauna) of Jeju including World Natural Heritage Districts Eligibility : Open to all (both Koreans and non-koreans) Grand Prix : 10,000,000 KRW (32,000,000 KRW in total) Registration : March 1 ~ May 31 2010 All the works submitted for selection will not be returned. More Information : The 2 nd Jeju World Natural Heritage International Photo Competition Office Tel. +82-2-361-1419 Official Website: www.jeju-photo.co.kr Ulaanbaatar City - Mongolia The Year of Korea in Mongolia: Mongolian and Korean Heads of States Exchange Congratulations on the 20 th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties In last 2008, Mongolia and Korea agreed to designate 2010 and 2011 as the Year of Korea in Mongolia and the Year of Mongolia in Korea, respectively, in commemoration of the 20 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries (March 26 1990). The Year of Korea finally kicked off on March 26 with a grand opening ceremony at the Cultural Palace of Ulaanbaatar. Meanwhile, The Korean President Lee, Myung-bak and the Mongolian President Elbegdorj exchanged messages of congratulations on March 24, which would be soon followed by a series of commemoration events, including Study Abroad Fair, Korean Speaking Competition, Mongolia-Korea Youth Exchange Program, Wrestling Tournaments, Korean Food Culture Festival, the Evening of Korean Tourism and many others. Republic of Buryatia - Russia Buryatia Delegation Visited Korea Four delegates representing CJSC (Closed Joint Stock Company) Nikolaevskiy, a pedigree factory in the Republic of Buryatia visited Incheon on March 1-9 for an inspection visit to advanced pig breeding facilities and meat processing system in Korea. However, regretfully, the delegation failed to make an on-site inspection of swine farms due to the foot-and-mouth disease hitting the nation. Instead, they met with the CEO and engineers of the Korean company Dong Yang Engineering, which specializes in manufacturing refrigeration & freezing storages and appliances and discussed measures to promote partnership between the two companies. 9
- NEAR This Month 2010 NEAR Events Schedule 10
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments Member Event Date Venue Contact NEAR Secretariat NEAR Working-level Workshop May Gyeongju, Korea NEAR Secretariat T. +82-54-223-2318 (English) +82-54-223-2320 (China) +82-54-223-2317 (Japan) +82-54-223-2384 (Mongolia) +82-54-223-2319 (Russia) F. +82-54-223-2309 Heilongjiang Province (China) China Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair 15-19 June Harbin Harbin Trade Fair Office T. +86-451-82340100 Henan Province (China) International Mayor s Forum on Tourism-Zhengzhou, China 2010 10-14 June Zhongzhou Foreign Affairs Office of Henan Province T. +86-371-65688841 F. +86-371-65688841 Shandong Province (China) Yellow River Delta Fair for Investment & Trade The 19th Shandong Expo and Convention of Enterprises, Universities, and Institutes May May Dongying Jinan T. +86-546-8331672 T. +86-531-86062000 Daegu Metropolitan City (Korea) Daegu International Optical Show 2010 5.6~8 EXCO Korea optical industry support center T. +82-53-350-7830 Incheon Metropolitan City (Korea) The 66 th Session of the UN- ESCAP 13-19 May Songdo Conventia International Cooperation Division, Incheon Metropolitan City Government T. +82-32-440-3251 Jeollanam-do Province (Korea) Damyang Bamboo Festival 1-5 May Damyang Culture and Tourism Division, Damyang County Office T. +82-61-380-3152 http://www.bamboofestival.co.kr Gyeongsangnam-do Province (Korea) International Factory Automation System Show 2010 25-28 May Changwon Int l Trade Division, Gyeongsangnam-do Province T. +82-55-211-2843 Jeju Special Selfgoverning Province (Korea) The 10 th Int l Taekwondo Championship 25-30 June Halla Gymnasium Jeju Taekwondo Association Uvurkhangai Province (Mongolia) Camel Festival 9 May Bogdsoum Uvurkhangai Provincial Government T. +976-01322-23260 http://bishirtugei.bblog.mn Email: Uvurkhangai_tourism@yahoo.com Altai Territory (Russia) International Youth Forum June-July Altai Territory Altai Territory Education Bureau for Youth Projects T. +7-3852-63-59-22 F. +7-3852-35-35-59 E-mail: educ@ttb.ru Khabarovsk Territory (Russia) Asia-Pacific Region Military Band Festival & Competition June Khabarovsk City Cross-border Culture Education Arts Federation T. +7-4212-42-02-57 F. +7-4212-32-96-09 E-mail: knotok@kultura.kht.ru Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (Russia) Int l Fair NORD EXPO 2010 1-4 June Yakutsk National Tourism Company Yakutia T. + 7-4112-42-05-02 http://en.planetyakutia.com/ about-yakutia/events/0001059 Irkutsk Region (Russia) Exhibition The Baikal Building Week 19-22 May Irkutsk City Irkutsk Ministry of Construction and Transportation T. +7-3952-295-144 F. +7-3952-29-51-36 11
- Feature Report Feature Report 12
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments Feeling Near to Nature : Mongolian Traditional House Ger Ger, is a moveable, nomadic tent home used by the people of the Central Asian region. Some 100 nations around the world used it in the late 19th century. Gers are classified into Turkish and Mongolian types. Turkish Ger is mostly used by Tatar and Kalmik tribes, people living in the Republic of Tyva (Russian Federation), Kazahstan, Turkmenistan, Tadzikistan, Kirkizstan, Afghanistan (Central Asia), and inner Mongolian regions (China). Mongolian Ger took today s form after going through modification for almost 3000 years. It is very easy to transport and can be erected ready for use or taken down and packed in a very short time. Moreover, it is all-weather durable. Comfortable in all seasons - cozy and warm in the winter, with walls covered with felts made from sheep wool, and a brazier in the middle. Cool in the summer, with dome and door openings to provide cross ventilation. The popularity of the eco-friendly, traditional dwelling of Mongolians is growing among fans of rural life around the world who love to live close to nature and keep life fun and simple. Gers Structure The Mongolian ger has basically 2 key components: the wooden framework and the felt cover. And of course belts to fix exterior covers. Vent pipes have been used since the 1920 s while white exterior and interior covers as well as windows on the roof since the 1940 s, which makes living in it a more exciting and attractive experience. 1. Wooden Frame : roof, rafters, poles, walls, floor, door 2. Coverings : ceiling lining, cover for the crown (waterproof material), exterior cover Ger Set-up Basics 1. Flooring 2. Wooden walls placed 3. Center support and roof raised 4. Door set up with straps for tension 5. Rafters placed 6. Crown covering 7. Felt insulation, outter coverings 8. Belts 13
- Feature Report Interior Design and Color For Mongolians who have studied the effect of colors for a long time, red is a color that radiates the heat of the sun, so the ceiling of Ger is painted red. And to reduce the intensity of the sunlight as well as the color, upper rafters are colored green. Patterns that decorates the interior of Ger are diagrams of mountains, clouds, waters, animals and etc. Size The size of ger depends upon the number of walls. There are several sizes : four walls ( small Ger), five walls ( medium Ger) and over six walls ( big Ger). Ger as a Sundial The roof ring of Ger serves as a sundial. You can read time by seeing where the sunshine reaches coming through the window on the circular top tono. Daytime generally begins at six in the morning and ends at 18 o clock. Mongolians know exactly at what time and in which season the shadow moves. The position that the light reaches tell when to go sheep herding or milk their cattle among other daily works of nomads. Order Inside The northwestern part of the the Ger space is most important, where the host keeps his valuables. Male quraters are on the left side while female quarters are to the right of the entrance. The hostess keeps kitchenware and appliances here. In the center of the ger is the hearth which has a special significance for the Mongolians. Apart from its utilitarian purpose, the hearth symbolizes ties with the family s ancestors. Ger Industry As income and quality of life rise, demand for customized Gers according to usage and each individual s taste is increasing. Unlike traditional ones, there are toilet and shower facilities inside and portable gers are developed which can be easily packed and transported in a small van or car. Mongolian Gers are mostly exported to the U.S.A or European countries to be used as a tent or a second and holiday home by those who enjoy rural life. Recently, a company started up in Korea which reform Gers into modern commercial buildings suitable for the environment in Korea. Wagon-style Gers or those used by royal families in the past are turning into restaurants and hotels. Also, modern times have brought to the traditional Ger TV dishes powered by solar panels, small power generators, refrigerators, computers and other home appliances. Today, Mongolian Ger has been establishing itself as a place not only for Mongolians, but for people all around the world. There is a six-walled big Ger restaurant opened in Japan while a Ger festival is annually held in Czech. Furthermore, Ger is gaining popularity in Paris as a sound recording studio. Usually the interior walls of a recording studio are specially manufactured for absorbing sound waves to reduce reflection, but in a squared-room, different sound waves reflected against the ceiling, walls, floor and corners inevitably cause sound disturbance. However, a Ger made of a round ceiling and felt-covered walls is very much effective for noise cancellation and its environment-friendly construction materials make an optimal place for studio-recording works. 14
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments - NEAR Member Tour NEAR Member Tour Kemerovo Region, Russia Kemerovo Region, Russia Boundaries Geographical Position Kemerovo Region is situated in the south-east of the Western Siberia or almost at the cetner of the territory of the Russian Federation. The major coal mining region of Kuznetsk takes the middle position between Moscow and Vladivostok in the 6th time zone. Area The Oblast s area covers an area of 95500, which takes up 4% of the territory of the Western Siberia and 0.56% of Russia s territory. Kemerovo is the smallest region among others in the Western Siberia, but larger than Baltic states, Hungar, Portugal, Austria, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland and Belgium. The oblast shares a border with Tomsk Oblast in the north, Krasnoyarsk Krai and the Republic of Khakassia in the east, Altai Republic in the south, and Novosibirsk Oblast and Altai Krai in the west. History In 1618 Russians began inhabiting the territory of current Kemerovo oblast and Kuznetsky stockaded town was founded. In 1721 Mihailo Volkov found the first coal deposit in the area of Kemerovo. In early XX century the coal and metallurgical plants were founded. In 1943 Kuzbass (The major coal mining region of Kuznesk) was separated from Novosibirsk region and Kemerovo region was formed on its territory. Industry Mineral industry takes the leading position in the economy of Kemerovo region. Kuzbass produces 58% of coal in Russia and 76% of coke. It also produces 12% of iron ore, 12% of steel and 7% of tungsten and chemical fiber as well. 15
- NEAR Member Tour Major Economic Field - Mining of fuel-energy resources; - Iron and steel industry, metal products; - Production and distribution of energy, gas and water; - Production of coke and oil products; - Food products, including drinks and tobacco; - Chemical products; - Rubber and plastic products; - Production of Machinery and Equipments; - Production of electric equipments, electronic and optical equipments; - Textile and apparels; - And Non-metal mineral products. Iron and Steel Industry Kemerovo s leading industry is iron and steel. Today, metallurgy takes one of the leading positions in the industry of Kuzbass based on the volume of shipped products (36% of the region s total industrial production). Chemical Industry Chemical industry grew 8% in 2009 compared to the level of 2008, including synthetic ammonia production (increased by 12%), fertilizer minerals (15%) and synthetic resin and plastic (20%). Engineering Machinery manufacturing is a rapidly growing industry in Kuzbass. The main share (30%) of the total production outputs is equipments for coal mining enterprises. Machinery manufacturing plants of Kuzbass offer to miners 16 types 16
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments of modern mechanic fastening, modernized scraping conveyors, full face boring machine KPU-50 and band conveyors. Electrochemical reactors, batchboxes, and refrigerators for primary cooling of coke gas are produced for iron and steel industry. Kemerovo also has Kuzbass Sowing Complex and agricultural loaders are produced for the agricultural sector. Fuel and Energy The base of fuel and energy industry forms coal and electric industry. Coal is the major mineral resource of Kemerovo. Kuzbass is composed of Kuznetskiy coal basin and Kansko-Achinskiy brown coal basin to the west. Coals produced in the one of the largest coal reserves in Russia are unique in its high quality that all kinds of products from lignite coal to anthracite can be produced out of them. But its most important natural advantages over the other basins of the world are high heat combustion (6250 kilocalorie per kg), low content of sulphur (0.4-0.6%) and low content of water (7.8-10%). The share of coal industry is 42.4% of the total volume of shipped goods of the Kuzbass Industrial Complex. Transport The region has a well-developed train system that goes to the Trans-Siberian Railroad and the Central Asia. The total extent of railway tracks and driveway were 1,685km and 8545, respectively, in 2006. The federal road M-53 Baikal which crosses through the region extends 468km. There are three airports in Kemerovo. 17
- Farewell Contribution Farewell Contribution Resident Officer Tetsuya Takahashi from Japan. Mr. Takahashi worked at the NEAR Secretariat for year 2009 Hello, dear NEAR members! My name is Tetsuya Takahashi, a resident officer in Korea from Japan representing Hyogo Prefectural Government to work at the NEAR Secretariat for 2009. My seemingly long but short stay in Korea is nearing the end. Looking back, my very first experience working in a foreign country began with a mixed feeling of expectation and anxiety as I arrived in Korea on April 3 welcomed by the beautiful cherry blossoms of Gyeongju and warm smiles of my new colleagues at the Secretariat. My first mission at the NEAR Secretariat was to prepare for the Working-level Workshop and the International Economic Forum in May; and, of course, the Working Committee Meeting in September. All of them were important events which provided a platform to discuss concrete measures to realize co-prosperity of Northeast Asia, the founding principle of NEAR. Sub-Committee meetings were held as well during my stay: the Sub-Committee on Disaster Prevention which promotes best practice to protect the lives and property of Northeast Asian citizens based on the lessons learned in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake; and the Sub-Committee on Environment which deals with environmental issues of yellow dust storms, washed-up driftage and etc. Another important duty was publishing NEAR Newsletters to lay the foundation for sharing information and promoting exchange among member regions. I am proud of having engaged both directly and indirectly in such creative effort to open a new horizon of exchange for Northeast Asian citizens. I was sometimes surprised by a different working style than that of Japan, but being part of the Secretariat working like one body was surely a much valuable, once-in-a-life-time experience. I express my sincere gratitude to Secretary General Lee Hae do for his strong leadership and to my dearest colleagues including Dr. Park Man Bong for sharing their lives with me. 18
The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments Meanwhile, I participated in a Korean language class two times every week with other foreign staffs. Thanks to Mrs. Lee Choon Hue s (our teacher) teaching method characterized by unsparing well-done! remarks, we were encouraged to learn fast and enjoy quite many things about Korean language and culture for a short period of one year. My private life was full of excitements as well. I traveled many places with my friends from in and out of the Secretariat such as Pohang, Gyeongju, Daegu, Andong, Busan, Seoul, Suwon and Buyeo making good memories and experiencing sincere and heartfelt hospitality of Korean ordinary people. Moreover, in last December, I joined a singing competition for foreigners and even though I wasn t a prize winner, I had a really good and memorable time. Also, I enjoyed good fellowship with Ms. Mo Yan from China, Mr. Batbayar from Mongolia and Mr. Ivan from Russia both in public and private, because we shared many things in common as officers living in a foreign country. When communicating and joking with each other, we made full use of Korean, Japanese and English at the same time by mixing them up into the funny Bibimbab-mal which always made us burst into laughing ( Bibimbab is a popular Korean dish of which ingredients are stirred thoroughly together just before eating and mal means language or word in Korean). I know thinking of those happy days with my friends will make me smile forever. Last but not the Least, I extend my appreciation to Governor Ido Tosizo of Hyogo Prefecture for giving me the opportunity to work in Korea and to everybody to whom I am deeply indebted. Returning back to Japan, I wish to remember each and every face of my friends and continue to work for promoting exchange and cooperation in Northeast Asia. Korea, the country of enjoyable memories, is now my second homeland. 19
Tel : +82-54-223-2311~20, Fax : +82-54-223-2309 E-mail : aram_yoo@hotmail.com www.neargov.org 3F, Pohang TP, 601 Jligok-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang City, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea, 790-834 Tel : +82-54-223-2311~20, Fax : +82-54-223-2309 E-mail : aram_yoo@hotmail.com www.neargov.org The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments