Seoul to send retired public service experts to developing nations

SEOUL, June 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will next year start sending retired
experts from the public and private sectors to developing countries worldwide to
help them upgrade their public sector capabilities, government officials said
Wednesday.

Under the so-called "Gray Expert Project," the government will select about 100
retired government officials and private executives with expertise in public
administration and related technologies before sending them to developing
countries in 2010, said the officials.
A special task force dedicated to tackling job loss and strengthening social
welfare held a meeting Wednesday to discuss how to select the experts. They are
looking for retirees with experience in atomic power plant development, water
management, airport operation, electronic trade, customs administration, port
logistics and e-learning, among other areas, the officials said.
The project comes as South Korea struggles with mounting unemployment amid the
protracted economic slump.
A total of 219,000 workers were eliminated from payrolls last month compared with
a year earlier, when 188,000 positions were lost. The May figure is the steepest
decline since March 1999.
The government said it will work together with the Federation of Korean
Industries, a leading business lobby group, to establish a vast database of
retired experts capable of offering advanced consulting services in various
public service sectors.
The government hopes the program will boost employment figures and help
strengthen ties with developing countries as well as help South Korean companies
win bids for future overseas development projects.
"Utilization of retired personnel could help promote the nation's image and play
a role in helping job creation in the future," an official at the prime
minister's office said.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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