Sri Lanka Prime Minister "Wants to Learn Saemaeul Undong" ... Discusses Cooperation Plans with Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk

Started Saemaeul Project 10 Years Ago

Income Tripled, Nationwide Expansion Underway

Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo made an official visit to Sri Lanka for two days from the 25th to the 26th, signing a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on the Saemaul Undong and engaging in in-depth discussions on various cooperation plans, including the Saemaul Undong, for the national transformation of Sri Lanka.

Amid severe economic difficulties caused by a national default, the Sri Lankan government, eager to learn from the Saemaul Undong as a breakthrough, has established a dedicated Saemaul department within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and is implementing the ‘Saemaul, New Nation!’ project by benchmarking the Saemaul Undong.

Dinesh Gunawardena, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, stated, “We are well aware of Korea’s economic development process, and I have personally experienced that the Saemaul Undong has already contributed to income increases through mushroom cultivation in small rural villages in the Sabaragamuwa Province. We intend to learn the Saemaul Undong so that Gyeongbuk’s experience can be well transmitted.”

Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo is giving a special lecture on the Saemaul Undong to 100 high-ranking Sri Lankan central government officials, including deputy ministers, assistant deputy ministers, and bureau chiefs.

He also said, “Korea is one of the most preferred countries for Sri Lankan youth seeking employment, and many Sri Lankan young people working in Korean industrial sites are greatly contributing to the economic development of both countries. We hope that cultural exchange cooperation in various fields such as Saemaul Undong, K-pop, and K-food will also be realized.”

On the 25th, Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo gave a special lecture titled ‘Great Transformation of Sri Lanka through Saemaul Undong’ to over 100 high-ranking officials, including deputy ministers, assistant ministers, bureau chiefs, and county governors from the central government of Sri Lanka.

Governor Lee introduced that the ‘Saemaul Undong’ was at the heart of Korea’s remarkable economic growth as the ‘only country that went from receiving aid to giving aid,’ and lectured on Korea’s national transformation projects, the globalization achievements of the Saemaul Undong, and future directions for enhancing cooperation between Gyeongbuk Province and Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, he emphasized the efforts Gyeongbuk is making to prepare for the local era and create a ‘New Republic of Korea with the power of Gyeongbuk,’ and regarding the Saemaul pilot village projects promoted by Gyeongbuk, he noted that the Saemaul Undong, which was previously conducted at the village and district levels, has expanded to the national level in Sri Lanka. He stressed, “We are merely facilitators. We hope Sri Lanka will carry out its own Saemaul Undong and achieve the ‘Miracle of the Kelani River.’”

On that day, Governor Lee introduced that outstanding Sri Lankan students can study and find jobs in Korea, and their parents and siblings can also come to Korea to work and live, accelerating sales efforts for local universities and labor force acquisition by Korea and Gyeongbuk Province.

On the 26th, Governor Lee and the Gyeongbuk delegation visited Walpola Village, a Saemaul Undong pilot village, where they were welcomed by about 150 residents and attended the completion ceremony for the expansion of the Saemaul classroom and visited the Saemaul Kegol mushroom cultivation site, spending time with local residents.

Gyeongbuk Province has been receiving requests to transfer the Saemaul Undong since 2011 and began full-scale Saemaul projects after a second request from a special envoy of the Sri Lankan president in 2014.

Although there were many ups and downs in the early stages of the project, steady implementation led to the development of its own mushroom brand called ‘Saemaul Kegol Mushroom,’ and after establishing the pilot village, residents’ incomes increased more than threefold, significantly strengthening self-reliance capabilities and positively influencing the lives of local residents, which is well known in the local media.

Takara Balasuriya, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, who was present at the site, mentioned the encouraging results of the Saemaul Undong, saying, “The average monthly income of residents participating in income-increasing projects in four pilot villages in Sabaragamuwa Province increased from 6,000 LKR to 20,000 LKR,” and expressed special gratitude to Gyeongbuk Province for transferring the Saemaul Undong together with the villagers, adding, “We hope that through the Saemaul Undong, all of Sri Lanka will prosper and be able to carve out its own destiny.”

Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo said, “The nationwide expansion of the Saemaul Undong in Sri Lanka was possible because of the active support of Sabaragamuwa Province and the voluntary participation of residents, which achieved great results. We hope they continue to take pride and look forward to Sri Lanka’s new image and development.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.