Ilsoo Kim of Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly Proposes Establishment of Saemaul Undong Nobel Peace Prize Promotion Committee

Ilsoo Kim, a member of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly (People Power Party, Gumi), proposed the establishment of a 'Saemaul Undong Nobel Peace Prize Promotion Committee' during a five-minute free speech at the 355th temporary session of the assembly on April 29, urging Gyeongsangbuk-do to take active measures.

Kim emphasized that the Saemaul Undong represents a great spirit that led to South Korea's economic and social development, stressing the need to widely promote its value to the international community. He explained that since 2005, Gyeongsangbuk-do has been spreading the Saemaul Undong to developing countries, conducting pilot projects in 77 villages across 16 countries, and that approximately 10,000 leaders from 91 countries are learning the Saemaul spirit.

Ilsoo Kim, Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly Member

He also argued that the inscription of Saemaul Undong records in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2013, the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, and the Nobel Prize in Economics received by professors from MIT and Harvard University are all achievements based on the Saemaul spirit, and that the Saemaul Undong is fully worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. In addition, he stated that if the promotion committee is established, it will be able to summarize the international achievements of the Saemaul Undong, build networks for candidate recommendations, and promote research and policy development.

Kim reiterated his call for active efforts by Gyeongsangbuk-do, stating, "If the Saemaul Undong receives the Nobel Peace Prize, it could serve as a catalyst for a second Saemaul Undong. Just as the original movement helped bridge the gap between urban and rural areas over 50 years ago, it could now become the key to solving the current imbalance between the capital region and local areas, as well as the low birth rate issue."