Emulate 'Saemaul Undong' concept to develop villages - Mahdzir

ALOR SETAR: Village head institutions, as well as village development and security committees (JPKK/JKKK), should emulate the concept of 'Saemaul Undong' (New Village Movement) in South Korea in an effort to develop their villages.

Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the concept introduced by former President Park Chung Hee in 1970 had successfully brought significant changes to rural areas in the republic.

"They have transformed all the villages from thatched roofs to tiled roofs, repaired houses and also trained village heads in nation-building," he said in his speech at the closing ceremony of JPKK's course in community management and district development in Langkawi last night.

Mahdzir said South Korea had proven the great role of village heads when it managed to transform the landscape and lives of the rural community between 1970 and 1980, during which the country was able to lay a solid foundation in its nation-building process.

"In 2013, they once again made a transformation... with various brands of electronic equipment exported and used around the world.

"In 50 years, South Korea has developed from a poor nation after the war into a great country," he said.

-- BERNAMA