– To hold the first NEAR Subcommittee Meeting from July 23rd to 25th

Gyeonggi Province will hold the first Science & Technology Subcommittee meeting of the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments (NEAR) at the Special Nano Fab Center from July 23rd to 25th, which will be attended by 42 representatives of 17 regional governments from 5 countries (China, Japan, Russia, Mongolia, Korea) under the theme of working towards regional cooperation in science and technology.

This will be the first time the Science and Technology Subcommittee has held a meeting since its establishment, and Gyeeonggi Province delegation (led by Vice Governor Jeong Chang-seop) successfully won the bid to hold this first meeting by dispatching the delegation to NEAR’s general assembly, which was held in Busan last September.

Gyeonggi Province will fully leverage this opportunity to firmly establish itself as a mecca of science and technology cooperation in Northeast Asia by holding the Science and Technology Subcommittee meeting in Gwang-gyo Techno Valley, where Gyeonggi Bio Center, Special Nano Fab Center, Next Generation Fusion Technology Institute, and the R&DB Center are all located. Gyeonggi Province also aims to position itself as a regional government equipped with a state-of-the-art industrial infrastructure in knowledge based industry, nano materials industry (NT), information communications technology (IT), and bio technology (BT).

Through a presentation jointly delivered with the Ministry of Science and Technology, Gyeonggi Province plans to seek practical ways for regional governments in Northeast Asia to work together on a government, regional government, or private level, in the mid to long term, based on principles of mutual reciprocity.

Gyeonggi Province announced that as of July 6th, the agenda items proposed for discussion by member regional governments amounted to 9 cases from 8 regions in 5 countries. It is expected that profound and concentrated discussions will take place, as many of the proposals are focused on support policies and ways for cooperation concerning science and technology in each region.
Participants attending the meeting will individually arrive from July 22nd to 23rd, will participate in the Subcommittee meeting, presentations and discussions with regional governments on July 24th. On July 25th, participants will visit Samsung Electronics and Pyeongtaek Port, the flagship industrial facilities in Gyeonggi Province, and will also enjoy a traditional performance held at Gyeonggi Korea Traditional Music Center prepared by Gyeonggi Province to introduce the international visitors to Korean traditional culture.
The Association of North East Asia Regional Government (NEAR) was founded in 1996, with the aim of promoting exchange among regional governments in Northeast Asia, creating networks, and seeking the mutual development of the Northeastern Asia as a whole, and is currently the largest consulting association in Northeast Asia, with 67 regional governments from 6 different member countries, including North Korea.
The general assembly is held every other year, and the standing executive office is located in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. Gyeonggi Province is bidding to hold the general assembly in 2010.

* Member regional governments: Korea 11, North Korea 2, Russia 14, China 7, Japan 11, Mongolia 22