Under the theme 'Sharing Korea's Development Experience, the Key to Humanity's Common Good: Focusing on the Case of Saemaul International Development'

Attended by Guinea's Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, international organizations, high-ranking officials from various countries, NGOs, and academia

Exploring solutions to global issues through the Smart Saemaul Movement

[May 29, 2024]

YU (President CHOI Oe-chool) hosted the Global Saemaul Forum to commemorate its 77th anniversary, the first time in eight years. Under the theme 'Sharing Korea's Development Experience, the Key to Humanity's Common Good: Focusing on the Case of Saemaul International Development,' the forum aimed to share a new educational paradigm for sustainable global development and present the university's vision for fostering talent contributing to human society's advancement.

Staff of international organizations, ambassadors to Korea, senior public officials, and professionals of academic societies and NGOs participated in the global forum held in LEE Si-won Global Convention Hall of YU Cheonma Art Center for two days on the 28th and 29th and the forum was broadcasted in real time through YouTube.

<President CHOI Oe-chool delivers a welcome speech at the opening ceremony of the Global Saemaul Forum commemorating the YU 77th anniversary>

 At the opening ceremony on the 28th, President CHOI Oe-chool of Yeungnam University, along with university officials, LEE Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, KIM Jang-ho, Mayor of Gumi, CHO Hyun-il, Mayor of Gyeongsan, Felix Lamah, Guinea's Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Jadambaa Bat-Erdene, Member of Parliament of Mongolia, Dessie Dalkie Dukamo, Ambassador of Ethiopia, Nkubito Manzi Bakuramutsa, Ambassador of Rwanda, Towfik Jemal Ali, President of Werabe University in Ethiopia, Rotana Kieng, President of Western University in Cambodia, and LIM Hyoung-jun, Head of the WFP Office in Guinea, attended to grace the occasion.

<Clockwise from top left: Felix Lamah, Guinea's Minister of Agriculture and Livestock; Jadambaa Bat-Erdene, Member of Parliament of Mongolia; Nkubito Manzi Bakuramutsa, Ambassador of Rwanda; Dessie Dalkie Dukamo, Ambassador of Ethiopia> 

In his congratulatory speech, Felix Lamah, Guinea's Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, said, "Through the Saemaul Movement, every region in Korea was able to develop, and this experience is a model for Africa. We aim to apply the successes of the Saemaul Movement to promote development in Guinea," celebrating the global forum's commencement. 

 Following this, Jadambaa Bat-Erdene, a Member of Parliament of Mongolia, shared, "After becoming a member of parliament, we implemented the 'New Village Project' inspired by the Saemaul Movement in Mongolia, which reduced unemployment, increased the number of businesses, and boosted local employment and income. We plan to continue learning from and collaborating with various Korean institutions."

Ethiopian Ambassador Dessie Dalkie Dukamo said, "Yeungnam University is the heart of the Saemaul Movement, which has become an international policy through global cooperation, leading to the eradication of poverty. The education I received at Yeungnam University about the Saemaul Movement 9 years ago was very helpful in my role as a regional leader. The Saemaul Movement is a model and lesson that developing countries should learn from."

Rwandan Ambassador Nkubito Manzi Bakuramutsa remarked, "Rwanda has adopted the Saemaul Movement as a development policy for sustainable national growth, and it has led to positive changes in Rwanda, especially aiding post-war reconstruction." 

<Keynote address by LEE Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, at the Global Saemaul Forum>

 The Global Saemaul Forum officially began with a keynote address by LEE Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, on "Hope for Eradicating Global Poverty through Sustainable Development: Globalizing the Gyeongsangbuk-do Saemaul Movement." Governor LEE emphasized Gyeongsangbuk-do's role as the birthplace of the Saemaul Movement and its duty to share Korea's experience in overcoming poverty with the international community. He also emphasized the need to promote the globalization of the Saemaul Movement, which has been recognized by international organizations as a key model for ending absolute poverty and hunger, and stressed the need to provide content that is differentiated from the existing development assistance models of developed countries.

<Students from Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul (PSPS) sing the 'Saemaul Song' at the Global Saemaul Forum>

  From the afternoon of the 28th, the forum continued with three sessions.The first session, chaired by former KOICA Chairman SOHN Hyeok-sang, focused on "Traces of Global Co-Prosperity: Sharing Yeungnam University's Saemaul International Development Achievements," with a keynote presentation by LIM Hyoung-jun, Head of the WFP Office in Guinea, followed by thematic presentations from Felix Lamah, Guinea's Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, KIM Jang-ho, Mayor of Gumi, and LEE Byung-wan, Dean of the Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul (PSPS).

 The second session, chaired by former KOICA Chairman KIM Young-mok, revolved around "The Future of Global Co-Prosperity through the Smart Saemaul Movement: Glocal Revolution." Keynote speaker LEE Seung-jung, CEO of the Saemaul Foundation, was followed by presentations from LIM Byeong-jin, Secretary-General of NEAR, Towfik Jemal Ali, President of Werabe University, and HAN Dong-geun, Vice President of Business Strategy at Yeungnam University.

 On the 29th, the third session, chaired by LEE Jeong-ju, Vice Dean of PSPS, was divided into two parts. The first part, "Best Saemaul Practice," featured presentations by JEONG Jin-young, Professor of Environmental Engineering at Yeungnam University, SEO Yong-won, Professor of Construction System Engineering, and Professor Abjalahmed Khan. The second part, chaired by YU Honorary Professor KIM Ki-soo, included presentations from Aida Musaeva and Vidia Lestari, KOICA training project awardees, KIM Song-yi, Head of the Saemaul Movement Support Department in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and LEE Ju-Hyung, Director of the YU Institute for International Development Cooperation.

<A vocal performance celebrates the YU's 77th anniversary and the Global Saemaul Forum>

 YU President CHOI Oe-chool said, "This forum is a meaningful event where Yeungnam University, which has been producing leaders driving Korea's development for 77 years, shares and presents new directions for the Saemaul Movement to nurture talents contributing to sustainable global co-prosperity. Fostering talents contributing to human society's advancement is no longer a choice but a duty to the international community. We hope this forum serves as an opportunity to assess and share Yeungnam University's efforts to academicize Korea's development experience and the Saemaul Movement and disseminate them worldwide. Moreover, we aspire to address pressing global and domestic issues through the new leap of the Saemaul Movement by incorporating values of diligence, self-help, cooperation, sharing, service, and creativity into 'Saemaul Spirit 2.0' and promoting 'Smart Saemaul' tailored to the times. We hope this serves as an opportunity to present a model for nurturing global contributors and leaders who will build a more dignified and attractive nation."

 In his welcome speech, President CHOI Oe-chool proposed to Governor LEE Cheol-woo, Mayor KIM Jang-ho of Gumi, and Mayor CHO Hyun-il of Gyeongsan to hold the Global Saemaul Forum biennially in Gyeongsangbuk-do, akin to the Davos Forum, to contribute to global co-prosperity as a widely shared K-Policy like K-Culture. Governor LEE responded positively before his keynote address, stating, "Gyeongsangbuk-do will support hosting the Global Saemaul Forum, a global event like the Davos Forum, attracting worldwide attention and promoting Hallyu (Korean Wave) policy."