By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Yeongnam University announced that Ambassador Kirom Salohiddin of Tajikistan to the Republic of Korea, visited the university and met with Choi Oe-chool, president of the university on April 19. 

The purpose of his visit was to discuss educational cooperation for the development of Yeongnam University and Tajikistan. The meeting was also attended by Lee Ok-ryun, chairwoman of the Korea/Central Asia Friendship Association.

Ambassador Kirom Salohiddin served the President of Tajikistan upon the establishment of the Embassy of Tajikistan in Korea in April 2015, and served as First Secretary and Acting Ambassador until the appointment of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Yusuf Sharifzoda in August 2016. He was appointed ambassador plenipotentiary in June 2023.       

During his meeting with Choi, he emphasized that Korea and Tajikistan are friendly countries that have been exchanging since the Silla period, and asked Yeungnam University to share the know-how it has accumulated as a global education center for the Saemaul movement with Tajikistan. 

In response, President Choi emphasized that "although we have many differences in religion, language, and culture, we can reap good results by exchanging with each other while respecting our differences," and said, "Yeungnam University will do its best for the development of Tajikistan."

Yeungnam University expects that the visit of the Tajik ambassador to Korea will accelerate discussions with the Tajik government to establish a department of Saemaul in local universities.

Yeongnam University is making efforts to share Saemaul Studies with universities in developing countries. As part of this, Western University in Cambodia and Samarkand National University in Uzbekistan have established departments of Saemaul and are implementing a 2+2 dual degree program. 

“In September, Werabae University in Ethiopia will establish the Department of Sustainable New Village Forestry, and recently, we have received requests from more than 10 countries to support the establishment of Saemaul departments at major universities in their countries,” Choi said.

In addition, Yeungnam University's Park Jung-hee Graduate School of Saemaul has provided master's degree programs based on the Saemaul movement to 904 government officials from 73 countries. 

In particular, in 2018, two students from Cuba, where diplomatic relations had not been established at the time, were admitted to the Department of Saemaul International Development, which made headlines. In February of this year, Korea agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba at the ambassadorial level. 

Yeongnam University also provides training on the theory and practice of the Saemaul movement and Saemaulology to policy experts and private sector professionals from developing countries through short-term training programs. Including short-term training, Yeongnam University has shared the Saemaul Movement with 90 developing countries. 

Youngnam University said it is raising its status as a global educational hub for the Saemaul movement by awarding honorary doctorates in international development to Kim Yong, former president of the World Bank (World Bank/WB), and David M. Beasley, former executive director of the United Nations World Food Program (UN WFP), for their contributions to human society, including overcoming poverty in developing countries.