El Salvador’s Ambassador to Korea Meets CHOI Oe-chool to Discuss Educational Cooperation and Student Exchanges

El Salvador Government–YU Partnership on the Agenda … “I Will Serve as a Bridge for Cooperation Between El Salvador and YU”

Proposal for a Human Resource Development Model Centered on the Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul … Expectations Rise for Expanding YU’s Global Network in Central America

[September 2, 2026]

 YU’s long-standing commitment to developing human resources for the advancement of developing countries—an approach often described as “educational diplomacy”—is gaining further momentum. This time, El Salvador’s Ambassador to Korea, representing the Central American nation, visited YU to discuss ways to share Korea’s development experience based on Saemaul Development and to promote educational cooperation between the two countries.

 The visit demonstrates that YU’s global educational cooperation, built around sharing Korea’s development experience, is expanding across Latin America as its Saemaul Development-based regional development and human resource development programs have gained recognition in developing countries in the region, including Nicaragua. 

 Recently, H.E. Federico Miguel Guerrero Avendaño, Ambassador of El Salvador to Korea, visited YU after taking particular interest in the university’s extensive experience in developing human resources for developing countries through the Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul (PSPS). During his visit, he held discussions on concrete avenues for cooperation among the Government of El Salvador, local universities, and YU.

 During the meeting, President CHOI Oe-chool introduced YU’s support systems and scholarship programs for international students and exchanged views on practical cooperation models, including study-abroad and scholarship opportunities that would enable young people from El Salvador to pursue their studies at YU.

 In particular, the Ambassador explained in detail the background to his request to visit and meet with President CHOI. He directly proposed establishing an agreement between the Government of El Salvador and YU to enable outstanding students from El Salvador to pursue master’s degrees at PSPS, and requested the meeting to discuss concrete ways to put this proposal into practice. He also proposed gradually establishing a cooperation framework between universities in the two countries by expanding academic and student exchanges between universities in El Salvador and YU and operating joint educational programs.

 YU has systematically documented the experiences and practices of the Saemaul Undong and established and developed Saemaul Studies as an academic discipline. To academically research and teach Korea’s development experience and the practical principles of the Saemaul Undong, while cultivating leaders capable of driving innovation at the regional and national levels, YU established PSPS in 2011. Since its establishment, PSPS has cultivated 1,245 international development professionals specializing in Saemaul Development, including public officials and young leaders from 81 countries worldwide, as well as officials affiliated with eight international organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP).

 Meanwhile, President CHOI Oe-chool recently delivered a special lecture at the invitation of the African Group of Ambassadors (AGA), where he shared Korea’s development experience and YU’s educational and research achievements in Saemaul Studies with ambassadors and diplomats from 20 African countries, further broadening common ground for international development cooperation. The lecture was also arranged at the direct request of African ambassadors in Korea who had taken a keen interest in YU’s Saemaul Studies and its model for sharing Korea’s development experience and invited President CHOI, who has systematically developed the content of the Saemaul Undong into the academic discipline of Saemaul Studies, to deliver the lecture. 

 Ambassador Federico Miguel Guerrero Avendaño said, “I am deeply impressed by YU’s educational philosophy and the achievements of its global network connecting countries around the world,” adding, “I hope that students from El Salvador will also be given valuable opportunities to learn and grow at YU.” He continued, “I look forward to seeing El Salvador become part of YU’s international cooperation network next year and working together toward mutual development,” adding, “The Embassy will also maintain close communication with YU to ensure that opportunities for educational cooperation can translate into tangible opportunities for young people in El Salvador.”

 He also emphasized, “El Salvador has made significant progress in recent years, and human resource development is now one of the country’s key development priorities. In this regard, the Saemaul Undong model is aligned with the current government’s policy direction.” He further stressed, “I will actively serve as a bridge to help realize multifaceted partnerships, including agreements and exchanges among YU, government ministries and agencies in El Salvador, and universities.”

 President CHOI Oe-chool said, “Through Saemaul Studies and international development cooperation education, YU has consistently shared its educational resources to help young people from developing countries grow into practical leaders capable of driving development in their home countries.” He added, “Based on cooperation with the Government of El Salvador, I hope we can jointly establish a framework that enables outstanding students to complete master’s programs at PSPS while expanding exchanges with local universities across a broad range of academic fields.” He continued, “Korea’s development experience is not simply a success story belonging to one particular country, but a shared asset that can be creatively adapted to the circumstances and needs of each country.” He added, “YU will provide all possible support, not only in education but also in international development cooperation, so that young people from El Salvador can build their expertise at YU and contribute to sustainable development and community innovation in their home country.”

 YU plans to use this meeting as an opportunity to maintain close communication with the Embassy of El Salvador in Korea and further develop specific areas of cooperation with the Government of El Salvador and local universities. Through these efforts, YU aims to expand its Saemaul-based international development cooperation network into Central America and further strengthen its role as a university contributing to global shared prosperity.