Silkroad network forum focuses on mutual understanding
Education leaders participating in the 2nd General Assembly of the Silkroad Universities Network gather for a group photo Tuesday at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Dongdaemun District, eastern Seoul. HUFS President Kim In-chul (ninth from right), North Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kwan-yong (tenth from right) and Silkroad Universities Network Secretary General Hwang Sung-don (eighth from right) stand at center. [HANKUK UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN STUDIES]
The 2nd General Assembly of the Silkroad Universities Network will run through Friday, with nearly 200 education leaders from 33 universities in 18 countries joining.
HUFS said this year’s meeting will focus on “mutual understanding and respect along the Silk Road,” a goal that is expected to be reached through active discussion on politics, religion, ethnicity and cultural diversity.
Tuesday’s opening ceremony was highlighted by HUFS President Kim In-chul, North Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kwan-yong and Chung Kwan-joo, first vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, who presented welcoming and congratulatory remarks.
After a cultural tour around the capital today, the group will transfer to North Gyeongsang and mainly travel across Gyeongju and Andong tomorrow.
The organizing committee of the convention, the Silkroad Universities Network, was established last year with a goal to “serve the world” by undertaking diverse projects that restore the value of the ancient Silk Road, the birthplace of the four cradles civilization (Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China), according to the network’s official website.
Fifty universities in 22 nations have joined the initiative so far, including the University of Delhi in India, Tenri University in Japan, Jordan University, Kazakh National Agrarian University in Kazakhstan, the University of Malaya in Malaysia, the National University of Mongolia, the University of Yangon in Myanmar, Beijing Foreign Studies University, the University of Coimbra in Portugal, the University of Bucharest in Romania, the University of Valencia in Spain, the British University in Dubai and Samarkand Agricultural Institute in Uzbekistan, among others.
The Silkroad Universities Network is made up of three key pillars: the United Presidents of the Silkroad Universities Network, the International Association for Silkroad Studies, and the United Nations of the Silkroad Universities Network.
On the sidelines, there’s also the Silkroadia Philharmonic Orchestra, the network’s cultural body that comprises students majoring in music.
BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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