Please refer to the statement below, and make a public report on the event.

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1. Sungkonghoe University and ARENA will hold a Memorandum of Understanding ceremony between the two parties at 2:00 p.m., on 7 April, 2006 at New Millenium Building at Sungkonghoe University. With the MOU, the University and ARENA will cooperate closely with each other for the development of academic and research networks for the betterment of Asian civil society.

2. ARENA(Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives), first founded in Hong Kong in 1980, is an international NGO consisting of 78 fellows who are progressive scholars, social activists, writers, or artists in various countries of Asia. Johan Saravanamuttu, a well-known professor at Science University of Malaysia, is currently the Chair of ARENA. Among 78 fellows are 7 Korean scholars or social activists such as Oh Jae Shik(former Chair of World Vision Korea), Park Won Soon(human rights lawyer), Lee Samuel(Secretary-General of Korean National Commission for UNESCO), Kim Yong Bok(Chancellor of Advanced Institute for Study of Life), Francis Lee Dae Hoon (former Chief Coordinator of PSPD), Lee See Jae (Professor of Catholic University), and Lee Jung Ok(Professor of Daegu Catholic University).

3. Following the MOU, ARENA will open its Seoul Center at Sungkonghoe University. The main purpose of this MOU is to build and support an academic system for the betterment of Asian civil society, to launch transnational researcher-activist education programs in the region of Asia, and to develop projects for publication, symposiums, and other variety of conferences in the pursuit of democratic Asian civil society. The MOU is also expected to be a touchstone for the Korean civil society to encounter and cooperate with Asia in a new, transformed way.

4. As a part of the long-term University Development Plan, Sungkonghoe University has been making efforts to become a Hub University for Asian civil society, and the MOU with ARENA is one of the major steps towards it. Hereafter, Sungkonghoe University will further promote cooperation with colleges and universities, research institutes, and civil societies in other parts of Asia.