The United Nations Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon met YU Executive Vice President Choi, Oe Chool.
Discussions on ways of cooperation between the Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul, and production of Saemaul experts
[Aug 28, 2013]

 YU and the UN will search for globalization plans of Saemaul Studies together.

 On the 25th, the UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon (right) and YU Executive Vice President Choi, Oe Chool (director of Institute for International Cooperation and Development) met at the Seoul Lotte Hotel and held in-depth discussions on the globalization of 'Saemaul Studies'. They talked about the UN initiated cooperation plans such as sharing and use of the Saemaul Studies with emerging and developing countries to overcome global poverty, and development of Saemaul Undong models fitting to the reality of emerging countries, and production of experts on Saemaul Undong theories and practical techniques customized to the local situation of the emerging nations.

 The UN Secretary-general Ban and YU Executive Vice President Choi also discussed cooperation plans with the UN organizations for the promotion of the educational programs of the 'YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul'. YU became the first in Korea in November 2011 to establish the Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul and is carrying out new attempts for Korean-type Official Development Assistance (ODA) to foster human resources for emerging countries.

 During their meeting, the two held in-depth discussions to promote the educational program of the YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul through the cooperation with the UN organizations in order to nurture experts in the Saemaul policy sector and develop in the regions of countries that helped Korea during the Korean War but are still emerging nations or are still under the poverty line. Furthermore, they exchanged opinions on mutual cooperation plans with the UN and other international organizations for fostering human resources in order to resolve the common problems of the global community in the future.

 The UN Secretary-general Ban and YU Executive Vice President Choi shared the common interest of 'eradicating global poverty'. Their meeting is a point of interest as it is expected that the Saemaul Undong will be one of the core models in relations with the 'Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)' that the UN is pursuing to overcome global poverty issues.

 YU Executive Vice President Choi said, "At this point of time where it is anticipated that Korea will have a more leading role in the 'post MDGs' that the international community will discuss after 2015, which is when the MDGs ends, the Saemaul Undong approach method that pursues improved quality of life and better residential environments based on the local society development of rural villages can be connected naturally with the poverty eradication programs of the international society."

 Meanwhile, YU Executive Vice President Choi, Oe Chool has worked on establishing the spirit, idea and value system of the 'global Saemaul Studies ' that adds the spirit of sharing, serving and creativity based on the basic principles of diligence, self-help and cooperation, as well as research on the Saemaul Undong. As part of these efforts, he founded the 'Association for Saemaul Undong Studies' and the 'Global Saemaul Forum', while also paving the academic foundation for 'Saemaul Studies ' by hosting the 'Saemaul International Academic Conference'. Furthermore, he opened a new chapter for export of Korean academic sciences through the export of Saemaul Studies to foreign universities, while also playing a leading role in the establishment of the 'YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul', which is a new model for Korean-type official development assistance that graduated its first masters in Saemaul Studies on the 22nd.