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| Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, left, and Ukraine's Deputy Infrastructure Minister Oleksandra Azarkhina, hold a copy of a signed memorandum of understanding in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday (local time). |
By Lee Kyung-min
Ukraine has offered to share data on 5,000 post-war reconstruction projects with Korea first, a month earlier than an international release in June, the land ministry said Wednesday, illustrating a desire for Korea's experience in smart city planning and infrastructure building.
The suggestion was made during a meeting between Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong and Ukraine's Deputy Infrastructure Minister Oleksandra Azarkhina, Tuesday (local time). The minister is on a visit this week to Poland to meet with Ukraine's government officials to expedite talks on bilateral cooperation on post-war rebuilding, encompassing roads, buildings, railways and military facilities.
The data will be shared through a database called Dream, where the roles and authority of Ukraine's regions in need of reconstruction are clearly outlined as well as the projects' cost estimates.
This will be a key reference for their Korean counterparts to discuss and resolve issues for a speedy launch and completion of joint state-run projects while managing profitability risks for businesses and circumventing national security issues among other politically sensitive matters. The projects will begin after video conferencing between government officials of the two countries early next month.
The two officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and agreed to provide necessary information compiled by the Ukrainian government.
Ukraine's deputy infrastructure minister said the data will be shared at a meeting in London from June 21 to 22, organized to help the post-war reconstruction.
Won said the data will be critical to speeding up the projects. A Consultative body will be launched to begin the rebuilding in the non-military and non-politically sensitive sectors.
"Korea will immediately review data and share it with the government, state-run organizations and private entities," Won said.
Among members of the body will be the land ministry, Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corp. (KIND).
Won stressed that the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine has long-term strategic implications since Korea needs to build its partnership with the European peer in order to secure a trusted ally in the European Union (EU).
"Strategic partnership with Ukraine is significant not only from the standpoint of economic interests but also national security issues, a reason why the government approach should be different from one concerning the Middle East or Southeast Asia," Won said.
Won was scheduled to meet with Oleksandr Kubrakov. Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine. Kubrakov was unable to attend the meeting due to Russia's attacks on major Ukrainian cities.
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