Reading books helps cultivate creative thinking skills.

Mr. Park Chul Won began his presentation with the question: In the world, which country's citizens have the happiest lives? What factors are reflected in the happiness index?

The speaker shared that among the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the countries with the highest happiness index are those in Northwest Europe such as Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland… followed by the rest of Europe, the United States, and Canada. However, there are countries with highly developed economies that are not included in the list of happy countries. Thus, countries with a high happiness index are not only those with developed economies, but also those that have built a rich cultural and spiritual life for their people.

Mr. Park Chul Won also pointed out the consequences that developing countries suffer when they focus solely on economic development without paying attention to spiritual life, such as: a pragmatic lifestyle, materialism, widening gap between rich and poor, social ills, crime, and a decline in education…

"I believe that for Vietnam to develop into a truly happy country, it needs to educate its entire population to enhance their spiritual values. And most importantly, it needs to place a reading culture at the center of all levels of education."—Chairman Hanuri said.

So why is reading so important? Why should children develop a reading habit from a young age? And how should they read properly?

Hanuri's reading education program has introduced the "5-in-1" reading method to the public. This is a comprehensive process encompassing all skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, thinking, discussing, commenting, presenting, and drawing conclusions. This reading process helps children develop comprehensive creative thinking skills. Comprehensive thinking includes the ability to analyze, critique, calculate, imagine, reason logically, and evaluate values. Those who regularly read and hone these skills will develop and enhance their comprehensive creative thinking abilities.This will be the nation's competitiveness in the 21st century." - Mr. Park Chul Won emphasized.

The 21st century is a century of human development. The history of human civilization is the history of the development of knowledge and creative capacity. The core and foundation for the formation of knowledge and creative thinking comes from reading. Building other knowledge systems from reading as a basis is, at any given time, the responsibility of educators. Each nation also needs to recognize the important role of reading culture and implement measures to encourage and promote reading movements among its citizens, especially children and young people.

Mr. Park Chul Won shared that, as a child, he lived in extremely difficult circumstances, but it was through reading that he found the right path in life. Books nurtured his dreams and aspirations and sustained his love for the world. Therefore, he vowed to dedicate his life to spreading the importance of reading to the community. The Hanuri (Reading Culture Promotion Center) is the brainchild of him and many colleagues.

Hanuri is currently contributing to and promoting nationwide education initiatives in South Korea, and is committed to the principles of nurturing morally mature individuals; educating citizens to master rational thinking; and contributing to the development of an advanced nation with a rich and creative culture.

Mr. Park Chul Won affirmed that Vietnam and South Korea have become important partners in cultural and economic exchange. In particular, cultural and educational exchanges will create a "soft" strength, helping to consolidate friendship and understanding between the people of the two countries. Certainly, books and activities related to reading will play an important role in promoting this relationship. He expressed his desire to have more opportunities to share his knowledge about reading and his experiences in promoting and spreading the reading movement, both personally and within the Hanuri Group, with young Vietnamese people, contributing to Vietnam's development and to building friendship between the two countries.