Science ministry-led trade delegation tours ASEAN nations to explore digital trade

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- The science ministry said it has sent a public-private trade delegation centered around exports of digital goods and services to Southeast Asia to expand South Korea's digital exports to the region.

The delegation, led by Second Vice Science Minister Kang Do-hyun and comprising of representatives of 30 South Korean digital-related firms, visited Indonesia on Monday and met with Satvinder Singh, deputy secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to discuss progress of the Korea-ASEAN Digital Innovation Flagship project.

The US$30 million project, announced at the South Korea-ASEAN summit last year, is a five-year initiative aimed at narrowing the digital divide and supporting the economic growth of ASEAN states.

The delegation also held a business partnership event in Indonesia to connect Korean companies to local buyers, and secured 22 export deals and memorandum of understandings, according to the ministry.

The group plans to travel to Vietnam on Thursday to host more events to foster exports of Korean digital companies.