[May 27, 2014]

 YU (President Noh Seok-kyun) will lead education on communal spirits and characters by cultivating the Saemaul spirit in children and youths.

 At 2 p.m. on the 27th at the YU main conference room, the YU Saemaul Research Center (Director Choi Oe Chool) signed a joint operation MOU for education programs for the cultivation and exercising of the Saemaul spirit for children and teens together with the Cheongdo Education Support Office (Director Ham In-ho).

 With the signing of this MOU, the two institutes agreed to develop Saemaul spirit exercise programs linked to creative and character elements of the education program revised in 2009, and to search for application plans of the Saemaul spirit at the site of the education for the formation of proper lifestyles of students, and to improve their sense of community and character.

 Director Choi Oe Chool said, "Through the joint operation of the education program through this MOU, we hope that growing children and youths will be able to understand the value of the Saemaul Undong, which is a brilliant experience of their parents and grandparents, and also understand the meaning of the Saemaul spirit, and gain proper knowledge on the Saemaul Undong that the world is paying attention to." He added, "We hope that these children and youths will become world citizens and global human resources who can contribute to the co-prosperity of the global community."

 The YU Saemaul Research Center concentrates on fostering Saemaul human resources based on the 'global Saemaul spirit (Saemaul spirit 2.0)' adding the spirit of sharing, volunteering and creating on the Saemaul spirit of diligence, self-help and cooperation for the globalization of the Saemaul Undong and the prosperity of the global community. It has been continuously operating pilot school projects and creative experience activity programs for the improvement and practicing of the Saemaul spirit for children and youths from 2012.

 Also, the Cheongdo Education Support Office applied the 'Saemaul 2.0' exercise program' using the resources of Cheongdo, which the Saemaul Undong first started, to work on improving the communal spirits of students and to improve their qualities as global citizens. Based on such achievements, it was selected in the regional character education network contest hosted by the Ministry of Education in 2014.

 Meanwhile, the YU Saemaul Research Center signed a work MOU with Cheongdo Elementary School, which was designated by Gyeongsangbuk-do as an education research school under the theme of 'Fostering Proper Character through the Drafting and Application of a Global Saemaul Spirit Exercise Program' and is planning to operate the research school until February 2015.