The inaugural meeting of the 4th International Seminar for Parliamentary Research Services Preparation and Planning Committee was held in the NARS main conference hall on Tuesday, September 3 at 10:30 am. Thirty-two members attended, including Dr. Koh Hyun Wook, Chief of NARS and Lee Jung Hwa, head of the Preparation and Planning Committee. The meeting was held to inform members of the objectives of the project and make known the role of each participant.

The Preparation and Planning Committee for this year's international seminar consists of four teams: organizational, conference, program, and international cooperation teams. The organizational team is in charge of overall preparation. The conference team is responsible for preparing the seminars and collecting materials. The international cooperation team will correspond with attendees. Lastly, the program team is charged with designing programs such as study tours and sightseeing.

During the meeting, Dr. Koh highlighted how the 4th International Seminar has grown in size and scope. This year a much larger number of countries-including the US, Japan, and Australia-will attend the seminar compared to the last three seminars. The seminar will also feature an additional discussion on Women's Political Participation. Dr. Koh emphasized to members that NARS could serve as a bridge between advanced and newly emerging parliamentary countries and play a crucial role in connecting them.

The inaugural meeting helped to clarify to all members the overall purposes and scope of the preparation and planning for the upcoming seminar and each person's role on the committee.