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| Saturday, 24 July 2004 |
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Active part in eSri Lanka initiative : Korea to grant US $ 15 million to revamp ICT infrastructure By Sudarshana Perera The Korean Government will grant a US $ 15 million soft loan to revamp the Information Technology infrastructure and human resources development sector in Sri Lanka. This assistance will provide an opportunity to reinforce economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Korea. This comes in the wake of the Korean government and ICT companies agreeing to take an active part in the e-SriLanka initiative. Korean Ambassador Lim Jae-hong said Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has surfaced as a key industry that has driven the Korean economy since the late 1990s. We also view ICT as a key industry which could transfer knowledge, resources and technical know-how to advance Sri Lanka's socio-economic development. "The Korean government and ICT companies are ready to take an active part in the Sri Lankan government's "e-Sri Lanka Program" under the guidance of the Prime Minister's Office", Jae-hong said. " Korea will continue to assist e-SriLanka initiative in collaboration with World Bank and Korean companies would possibly consider to invest in Sri Lanka's ICT industry. The project will promote sharing the advanced ICT of Korea to revamp the information technology infrastructure and human resources development in Sri Lanka providing a novel opportunity to reinforce economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Korea", he said. Meanwhile President of Korea Network Information Center (KRNIC), Song Kwan-ho and the CEO of Sri Lanka's Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), Manju Hathotuwa) has also signed the agreement to promote exchanges between Korea and Sri Lanka in the IT sector recently. The two organisations laid the foundation for exchange within the private sectors of the two countries as they agreed to cooperate in promoting Internet use and in eliminating the digital gap in Asia. ICTA, Sri Lanka's IT flagship, has high expectations for the cooperative relationship with Korea, which has drawn international attention for its rapidly growing IT sector. President Song Kwan-ho of KRNIC said that the signing of MOU with ICTA would serve as a cornerstone for closing the digital gap and for promoting Internet use throughout Asia. He added that KRNIC would continue to help spread Korea's advanced IT technologies through active international activities and to facilitate Korean IT companies' entry into international markets. |
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