'Success story' needed for S. Korea-Algeria strategic partnership: official

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Algeria need to create an economic
"success story" to solidify their strategic partnership, a government official
said Tuesday.
Kim Young-hak, vice knowledge economy minister, said at the seventh meeting of
the Korea-Algeria economic cooperation task force that while bilateral relations
have made meaningful headway, there should be efforts to create successful
tie-ups in manufacturing and technology and through the sharing of global
economic strategies.
The two countries launched a special partnership arrangement in March 2006, with
Algeria expressing a wish to learn from South Korea's development model, which
transformed it from one of the poorest countries in the world to an economic
powerhouse.
Seoul has said closer ties with the North African country could give it a
foothold on the continent and access to the European market.
Government officials from the two countries, meanwhile, touched on industrial
information technology cooperation, economic policy coordination, construction
and transportation and agriculture areas.
South Korea raised the need for further tie-ups in the IT sector, touching on a
communications infrastructure project in Sidi Abdela, Algeria, secured by KT
Corp., South Korea's leading fixed-line communications firm.
Algerian officials also discussed details of a long-term industrial building
strategy drawn by the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, and
plans for South Korea to provide Algeria with seed potatoes. Seoul is using part
of its Official Development Assistance budget to fund the two projects.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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