NK delegates to visit Pangyo Techno Valley

By Kim Yoo-chul

A group of senior North Korean officials will visit Pangyo Techno Valley, Thursday, a Seongnam City spokesman said Wednesday.

Pangyo Techno Valley is a complex of technology firms in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. It focuses on information technology, biotechnology and fusion technology.

"North Korean officials will visit the complex on Nov. 15. The visit was requested by North Korea. Specific details of their trip have yet to be fixed," the city spokesman said without elaborating further.

Officials from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said the North Korean delegation will be briefed on South Korea's current status and progress in autonomous cars, 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI) and gaming technology _ core elements for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The North Korean delegates will also have a 20-minute session to test autonomous vehicles on designated roads in Pangyo. South Korea is a big and valuable market for startups and emerging technologies with Pangyo Techno Valley's diverse startup and technology ecosystem.

The seven-member North Korean delegation arrived at Incheon International Airport late Wednesday after Seoul's unification ministry approved of their trip plan.

The delegation, led by Ri Jong-hyok, vice chairman of the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, will participate in an international forum on peace to be co-hosted by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Asia-Pacific Exchange Association in Goyang, north of Seoul.

During their stay through Nov. 17, the delegation will visit agricultural facilities here, as they want to learn about advances in agricultural technology to boost efficiency and productivity, according to officials.

The government earlier said it has no plans to hold any meeting with the visiting North Korean delegation as the forum has been organized by a local administration and a private organization.

After acquiring nuclear weapons, Pyongyang is now focusing on the policy goal of economic progress and development, with the country's leader Kim Jong-un pushing top-down economic reform. South Korea is ready to show how next-generation technology makes a difference in economic development and the quality of everyday life.

Kim has departed from his father's "military-first" approach and is instead focused on advancing the economy. But tightening and enforcement of economic sanctions stand in his way.

Technological developments in North Korea are often hidden behind a veil of secrecy or only partially reported by state media outlets.

Despite the country's long-lasting isolation,reports indicate that scientific research and efforts to advance technology have been actively pursued by the North.

Political analysts in Seoul point out that this is mainly due to Kim's desire to boost the country's economy through advanced scientific technology.

"North Korea is quite competitive in terms of patents relating to AI and other types of software technology. Given the North's weak infrastructure in roads and significantly low traffic congestion, establishing a test-bed for autonomous vehicles in North Korea would be one applicable scenario, which I believe does make sense," said Kwak In-ock, a professor at an ICT research lab in Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul.