By Ukraine Rebuild News Staff
Won Hee-ryong, South Korea’s minister of land, infrastructure and transport, said he will visit Ukraine in September to help Korean firms expand their presence in the eventual reconstruction of the country, The Korea Times reported.
"At first, we will focus on governmental assistance and loans for Ukraine, a feasibility study on the reconstruction projects, backup operations in Poland and the establishment of personal, physical and systematic footholds to organize consortiums for the project," the minister told reporters at a press conference in Seoul.
The announcement comes after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol led a delegation to Poland in July to meet with Ukrainian officials on the reconstruction. He was accompanied by Samsung C&T, Hyundai E&C, Kolon Global, HD Hyundai XiteSolution, Hyundai Rotem, Yooshin Engineering, Naver, Korea Land & Housing Corp, Korea Water Resources, International Contractors Association of Korea and Export-Import Bank of Korea.
Korean firms have firmly established a presence in Ukraine and have expanded their reach in recent months, with Hyundai E&C agreeing in July to rebuild Ukraine’s largest airport, Boryspil International, once the fighting stops, and conglomerate K-water agreeing to help rebuild the Kakhovka dam which was blown up in June. Also, Samsung C&T signed a reconstruction agreement last month with the city of Lviv, western Ukraine, along with Turkish construction firm Onur, according to a LinkedIn post by Onur.
