S. Korean gov't to expand partnership with Microsoft

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will expand its ongoing global software
partnership with Microsoft Corporation as part of its industrial growth strategy,
the government said Monday.

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said talks with Microsoft chief executive
officer Steve Ballmer have reaffirmed that South Korea and the software giant
share a joint vision of the software industry and agree on the need to explore
broader cooperative tie-ups.
"There has been an understanding in the need for horizontal convergence between
information technology and manufacturing and creations of a new 'value chain'
between hardware and software," a ministry official said.
The two sides plan to establish a new joint program in early December to
strengthen the country's software industry and overall competitiveness in the
sector.
Seoul signed a memorandum of understanding on global software cooperation in
October 2008 with the U.S. company aimed at spurring innovation and training, and
made efforts to create a Korean software "eco-system" from July 2006 through
September 2008.
Closer ties, in addition, could allow South Korean companies to utilize
Microsoft's global network and allow it to to make inroads into foreign software
markets, the official said.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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