For 45 years the Saemaul Undong， or the New Village Movement， has propelled Korea′s modernization， and it is now spreading to other countries as a model for sustainable development.
With Global Saemaul leaders attending a forum in Korea... an international organization has been launched .
Here′s Oh Soo－young for part two of the Saemaul Undong series， . Korea was one of the world′s poorest countries in the years following the end of the Korean War.
The Saemaul Undong movement has since been credited with putting Korea on the path to becoming the modern and relatively wealthy nation it is today.
Launched by the government in 1970， it inspired community development based on diligence， self－help and cooperation.
Villagers toiled together to build new roads and infrastructure.
They also undertook agricultural reforms.
Spreading from village to village， Saemaul′s can－do spirit quickly became a nationwide movement.
In under than a decade， Korea′s per－capita income spiked more than five－fold， hitting more than 15－hundred U.S. dollars.
The country also achieved significant growth in health， education， industry and transportation.
Since then， Korea has been helping other countries build their own Saemaul villages， by training leaders， sharing technology and setting up the necessary infrastructure.
″Now， leaders and experts from 60 countries are paying homage to the movement at the Global Saemaul Undong Forum. They′re showing the Saemaul spirit of unity with an early morning walkathon.″
Participants are also joining hands to launch an international organization called the Global Saemaul Development Network.
″The organization has been launched to help people in poverty around the world by sharing the Saemaul spirit， nurturing leaders， exchanging information and implementing projects.″
This will help spread Korea′s Saemaul Undong across developing nations， helping them tackle poverty and make better lives for their people.
Oh Soo－young， Arirang News， Gyeongju.
