Hon. Minister for Youth and Sports Laisenia Tuitubou with Saemaul Globalzation Foundation chief executive officer Lee Ji Ha …Photo:SUPPLIED
Fiji needs to emulate the Saemaul Undong model of Korea in order to address poverty and other related issues.
These were the comments by the Minister for Youth and Sports Hon. Laisenia Tuitubou following the visit to the birthplace of modern Korea, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
“This visit was encouraging as we were able to witness firsthand how the Saemaul Undong model assisted in re-modernising the lives of the people of Korea,” Minister Tuitubou said.
“Fiji needs to implement the principles of the Saemaul Undong model in order to alleviate poverty and live peaceful lives.”
Minister Tutubou highlighted the principles of independence, diligence and collaboration of the Saemaul Undong model and said that this could be used in Fiji’s context.
“The pioneers of the Saemaul Udong in Cheong-do Village worked independently without any assistance, they worked with diligence and collaboration as a community.”
“They aspired to realize a green, smart and happy global Korea which was their motivation behind the development of their country and this has laid the foundation for what their nation is today,” Mr Tuitubou said.
He reiterated the need for Fiji to adopt Saemaul Udong because of the resources that were readily available in the country.
“Unlike Korea, Fiji has an abundance of resources and their accomplishments should be a challenge for us to use our resources wisely in order to uplift our livelihood and nation,” he said.
Saemaul Globalization Foundation chief executive officer Lee Ji Ha said that Korea used to be one of the poorest countries in the 1960s and the Saemaul Udong model paved the way forward for the country’s improvement.
“Saemaul Udong was the foundation of Korean modernization and it is a ray of hope in the eradication of poverty in developing countries because Korea was one of the poorest countries in 1960 but has since joined the ranks of advanced countries,” he said.
“It is one of Korea’s representative brands as it is a valuable intellectual property which can be shared with people around the globe, all we ask is for your continued interest and participation in the effort to globalize Saemaul Udong which is aimed to improve the quality for all and build a prosperous global village,” Mr Ha said.
Press Release