Participants will also engage in field visits to advanced industrial and agricultural institutions, including the Gyeongbuk Agricultural Research and Extension Services, agricultural product processing centers, and POSCO. They will visit symbolic sites such as the Sabang Memorial Park and the Saemaul Undong birthplace memorial to experience Korea's development journey firsthand. In the final phase of the program, participants will develop localized Saemaul Undong implementation plans for their home countries, completing an integrated educational experience that bridges theory and practice.

 YU’s leadership in international development cooperation through Saemaul Undong is backed by deep academic preparation and years of experience. President CHOI Oe-chool of YU was the first to advocate for the academic institutionalization of Saemaul Undong in 2007. He went on to establish the Korean Society for Saemaul Studies and the Global Saemaul Forum in 2008, serving as the founding president of both. In 2011, YU introduced a “Global Saemaul” major at its Graduate School of Public Administration, and in 2012, established the Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul with a dedicated Department of Saemaul Studies. In August 2013, YU awarded the world’s first master’s degree in Saemaul Studies and launched the undergraduate Department of Saemaul and International Development in 2015, completing its educational framework for nurturing global development experts.

<Presentation of best practices from KOICA Global Training Programs>

Leveraging this educational infrastructure, YU's Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul has trained over 970 master’s degree students from 76 countries—including participants affiliated with international organizations such as the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank. Since 2013, the Institute for International Development Cooperation has also conducted short-term training for over 3,370 participants from 51 countries. In total, more than 4,400 individuals from 87 countries have learned from YU’s Saemaul development programs, sharing Korea’s development experiences.These figures highlight YU's role not only in education but in advancing “knowledge diplomacy” on a global scale. Yeungnam University, which operated this global training program, was recognized in February 2019 as the best educational case among over 120 ODA training programs conducted over three and a half years with support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), receiving a plaque and prize.

More significantly YU is gaining recognition for establishing "Saemaul Studies" as an academic discipline and supporting sustainable development in developing countries by educating future experts.

This academic validation stems from President CHOI Oe-chool’s research, which applied Thomas S. Kuhn’s theory of scientific paradigms to define the academic identity of Saemaul Studies. By evolving beyond a simple practical movement, Saemaul Undong is now recognized as a distinct discipline integrating theory and practice.

This development has enabled tailored education and policy recommendations based on the needs of individual developing countries. As a result, Saemaul Studies has been officially recognized by the government as a research field and has been shared internationally through departments such as Saemaul-based Economic Development programs in universities in the Philippines, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Uzbekistan. 

 During the Korea-Africa Summit held in June 2024, leaders from participating nations expressed their gratitude for YU’s education in Saemaul Undong. This acknowledgment affirms that YU’s programs are not merely ODA assistance but serve as “knowledge-based partnerships” founded on mutual respect in the international community.

 YU has maintained practical exchanges over several years with this year’s participating countries. It has conducted 20 training sessions in Ethiopia, 2 in Zambia, and 1 each in Zimbabwe and the Central African Republic. It has also produced 44 Saemaul Studies master’s graduates from Ethiopia and 21 each from Zimbabwe and Zambia. In addition, YU has signed MOUs with Ethiopia’s Amhara Region, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), Central Ethiopia Region, Werabe University, and Addis Ababa University to expand cooperation in Saemaul-based international development.

 LEE Sang-ho, Director of YU’s Institute for International Development Cooperation, stated, “This selection as a training program operator reflects the expertise YU has accumulated over the past decade in Saemaul Undong education and training.” He added, “Korea, once a recipient of aid, must now fulfill its role and responsibility as a developed nation helping achieve global sustainable development.” He concluded, “YU will continue striving to contribute to the international community’s shared goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”