Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has requested Korea’s cooperation in nuclear power, res development and the defense industry as part of reconstruction efforts of the war-ravaged country, Seoul officials said Saturday.
A delegation of government officials and business representatives who visited Kyiv this week to discuss South Korea’s potential involvement in reconstruction projects, estimated to be worth around 1,200 trillion won ($902 billion), returned home Saturday morning.
During a meeting with them Wednesday, Zelenskyy called for cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, particularly expressing interest in Korea’s expertise in large-scale atomic power technology, the delegation said.
Zelenskyy also expressed hopes for Korea’s assistance in solar power generation technology and the development and expansion of oil-refining facilities, the members added.
“President Zelenskyy seemed to envision a partnership between Ukraine and Korea in the energy sector, with a focus on the European Union market,” a member of the delegation said.
Zelenskyy also proposed a joint effort in mining lithium, a vital component of rechargeable batteries, as Ukraine possesses substantial deposits in its eastern region.
In the realm of defense, Zelenskyy suggested combining Korean defense manufacturing technology with Ukraine’s intelligence on Russia to create advanced weaponry that could be exported to European countries, the delegation said.
In addition, the president expressed hopes for Korea’s involvement in various other sectors, including automobile manufacturing, dam restoration and the construction of a high-speed railway line connecting Kyiv and Warsaw, Poland.
During the meeting, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, who led the delegation, reaffirmed Korea’s commitment to actively supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts.
He said the high-speed railway project could move forward promptly and that both the Korean government and businesses were eager to collaborate on nuclear energy, lithium extraction, automobiles and various construction projects, according to delegates.
Korea plans to dispatch a second economic delegation, led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, to Kyiv later this year. (Yonhap)
