PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

President D. K. noted that the annual number of child deaths globally fell below 10 million to 9.7 million because of the incessant efforts of Rotary projects that have been successfully addressing problems associated with health, hunger, water and literacy for a number of years now. The President has this dream: “What would happen if 1.2 million Rotarians focus their service efforts on keeping even more children alive”. Thus his choice of the RI theme: Make Dreams Real – the dream in decreasing child mortality.

Born in Yangdong, a three-hour drive south of Seoul, President D. K. learned lessons of discipline, humility and generosity from his father, a Past District Governor. His father told him when he became a Rotarian to remember two things. The first: Never miss a meeting. Perhaps our members should take note of this fatherly advice. The second: Do not expect any personal glory from Rotary.

President D. K.’s priorities include building membership. He has ambitious plans to increase membership by 10 percent to 1.3 million. And D. K. will focus on polio to meet the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s US$100 million challenge grant. This grant will indeed reduce the number of polio endemic countries. He will also carry on Past RI President Wilf Wilkinson’s emphases on water, health and hunger and literacy but with a new twist: reducing child mortality.

The First Lady, Young Ja Chung, plays a quiet but vital role in her husband’s dedication towards Rotary. She sees her primary job as keeping D. K. organized, prepared and healthy.

The Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya looks forward to the vision of our RI President.

After the war, utter devastation was evident. Korean Rotarians pitched in when and where they could in war recovery efforts. “Rotarians were well-to-do people, so they started rehab projects, provided free medical services and raised money for medical supplies,” says Joung-Yole Rew, a Seoul Rotary Club member and Past District Governor.

Today, there are 1,338 clubs with 54,925 members in 17 districts. Korea’s per capita GNP is approaching $20,000 and its economy is ranked 13th in the world. Korea has become a leader in contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Rotarians contributed almost $10 million in 2006/07, ranking Korea third among contributing countries.

The flagship project of Korean Rotarians is Keep Mongolia Green, a massive reforestation effort in the Gobi. The hope is that Rotarians can plant enough trees to create a windbreak that will reduce the effect of dust storms, a serious health hazard blowing off the desert into Korea and nearby countries.

Many Korean Rotarians have official and unofficial ties to the government. South Korean President Myung-bak Lee is a Rotarian, as are four recent Prime Ministers. The inauguration of D. K. Lee, the first International President from Korea, is evidence that Rotary has made a significant impact in Korea and that the Koreans are raising their profile on the international stage.

“After the war, there was nothing left,” says a 94-year old Rotarian who still attends weekly meetings. “But we have come a long way since then, and Rotary in Korea has come a long way.”