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Rotary International, the worlds oldest non-affiliated service organization, is holding the 2016 Rotary International Convention from May 28 to June 1 at KINTEX, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. Since its founding by Paul P. Harris and three of his friends in 1905 as the Rotary Club, Rotary International has become a worldwide service organization with over 1.2 million members in approximately 35,000 clubs in more than 200 countries. Rotary was established in Korea in 1927 and has rendered services for many purposes since then, including the eradication of polio, combatting expansion of the Gobi Desert through the Keep Mongolia Green project for planting trees, and granting scholarships to young students. Rotarians from all over the world come together in a different city each year for the Rotary International Convention to make decisions on service initiatives and project plans for the following year. They also forge meaningful friendships, exchange ideas, and learn about different cultures. The upcoming convention will be the 107th Convention and the second convention held in Korea, following the first one in 1989. More than 50,000 members of Rotary are expected to participate, making it the largest international gathering hosted by a Korean non-governmental organization. Under Rotarys motto Service Above Self, the Seoul Convention will feature many programs, including lectures by world renowned speakers, and over 100 breakout sessions, which will be opportunities for participants to discuss various topics of interest. Among other activities are the Young Leaders Summit for young leaders from various countries to gather and share views on future service projects of Rotary; the 3K Walk for Peace, where participants wearing their countries` traditional costumes will walk together to promote a message of hope for world peace; and the House of Friendship that showcases various booths introducing Rotary projects as well as the “Science Exhibition Hall,” where visitors can explore both Koreas past and future. The convention logo depicts Koreas well-known royal structure Geunjeongjeon Hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace with the traditional O-bang (five directional) colors. Its shape represents Korean beauty, and it symbolizes different cultures coming together to create new value of unity.