Kim Seung-nam, third from left in the front row, chairman of People to People International’s (PTPI) Korean headquarters, poses with participants in the organization’s Asia regional meeting in Japan last week. Kim was elected chairman of the international voluntary group’s Asia-Pacific council in the meeting. / Courtesy of PTPI |
 By Park Si-soo
Staff reporter
Kim Seung-nam, head of People to People International (PTPI)'s Korean headquarters, was elected chairman of the international voluntary organization's Asia-Pacific council in a recent board meeting in Kakekawa, Japan, PTPI officials said Wednesday.
The board members have also decided to hold the council's 2011 international regional conference in Seoul.
Kim will promote the organization's goal of deepening international understanding and friendship through educational and cultural events among its member states in Asia for the next two years.
A versatile entrepreneur and philanthropist, Kim is also the chairman of Joeun System, a leading security services company and has taken the helm of the Korean headquarters of PTPI since 2008. Under his leadership, the number of PTPI members has steadily increased over the last couple of years.
Ruriko Nakajima of Japan and Budga from Mongolia were elected as the council's new secretary general and youth coordinator, in charge of mapping out plans on promotional events for young generations, respectively.
More than 150 PTPI members from Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the international headquarters in the United States attended the meeting.
Among the delegation from the U.S. headquarters were Mr. Mark A. Stansberry, chairman of the board of directors, Mr. Troy Nash, chairman of the board of trustees, and Mr. Viktor Zikas, managing director of special programs and Asia-Pacific operations.
PTPI, founded in 1956 by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, seeks to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities, with 350 chapters in 48 member nations worldwide.
At present, PTPI has 35 community chapters across the nation and 30 university and two high-school student chapters, with more than 2,400 members actively taking part in various volunteer programs. This year alone, it is seeking to raise the number of chapters to over 50.
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