Pyongyang to get Internet training site

The Korea Internet Corporation Association, a South Korean industrial organization, is seeking to establish an Internet training center in North Korea jointly with a Korean-American entrepreneur.

Industrial sources said on August 2 that KICA chairman Lee Kum-Ryong had reached an agreement with Philip Hwang, chairman of TeleVideo Inc., a U.S.-based computer equipment manufacturer, to set up an Internet training institute in North Korea.

¡°Development of the Internet industry requires establishment of infrastructure, but North Korea is suffering from absolutely insufficient infrastructure,¡± Lee said. ¡°As a first step toward establishing infrastructure (in North Korea), we decided to seek the establishment of an Internet training center.¡±

In this connection, Hwang is working on the plan in the United States and North Korea, while the KICA is known to be negotiating with the North Korean authorities via the South Korean authorities and civil organizations. The KICA is planning to complete the groundwork by the end of this year, and pursue a large-scale campaign to raise funds for the project after getting government approval.