Korea Post to help modernize Kenyan postal service

South Korea`s advanced information technology (IT) for post service will likely be exported to Africa. Korea Post, Seoul`s national postal service under the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, said Friday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with its Kenyan counterpart in Nairobi for cooperation in postal IT.

The non-binding agreement is Seoul`s first such pact with an African country, although South Korea has similar agreements with about 10 developing countries including Vietnam, Costa Rica, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Malaysia. Under the accord, Korea Post plans to help the Kenyan postal service`s modernization through IT consulting and training.

Korea Post plans to invite employees of the Kenyan postal service to train them on Seoul`s postal logistics system. In addition, Korea Post plans to provide its Kenyan counterpart with electronic document management software and install unmanned windows at the central post office in the African country for exhibition.

"This MOU has secured a beachhead for our advance to Africa," said Kim Joon-ho, president of Korea Post. "We will provide active support for Korean postal IT companies` entry into Africa by signing MOUs with other African countries including South Africa."

kky@donga.com