Wen Visits Economic Site before Cheong Wa Dae

“I came here right off the airplane," said Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who arrived in South Korea on April 10, to the executives and staff of SK Group, including Chairman Choi Tae-won, when he visited the Access Research Center of SK Telecom in Bundang, Gyeonggi, at around 10:50 a.m.

SK Telecom and the Chinese government are jointly developing the third generation mobile communication technology TD-SCDMA. Prime Minister Wen attended the opening ceremony of the test bed for TD-SCDMA and observed a demonstration of the communications-related technology of SK Telecom.

This official visit to South Korea by Prime Minister Wen is intended to commemorate the 15th year of amity between South Korea and China and the Year for Korea-China interchange. His movements on the first day symbolically indicate that his concerns lie in the economic sector.

He toured the research facilities of SK Telecom for 40 minutes.

While making a test call to Wang Xudong, the Minister of Information in China, on a mobile display-phone, he said he was "surprised by the excellent quality of the display" and ordered Minister Wang to "strengthen cooperation with SK Telecom.”

On that day, SK Group made a proposal to Prime Minister Wen to jointly enter markets in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America by means of SK`s entry into China`s energy market and sharing its oil-chemistry facilities to stimulate synergy between the two, as well as share TD-SCDMA technology which they are developing in collaboration.

The Prime Minister did not give specific answers but showed s positive attitude.

Following his visit to SK Telecom, he attended a gathering hosted by the Korea-China Friendship Association which was held at the VIP room of the Shilla Hotel in Janchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Here he discussed with the president of the Korea-China Friendship Association Park Sam-gu corporate cooperation between South Korea and China and regular flights of chartered planes between Gimpo Airport in Seoul and Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport.

He also plans to attend a luncheon gathering hosted by the Economic Big 4 at the Shilla Hotel to give a special lecture in the afternoon of April 11, right before he leaves for Japan. This gathering will be attended by more than 100 Korean and Chinese business leaders, including the Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sohn Kyung-sik, and the chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Wan Jifei.

mikemoon@donga.com swon@donga.com