The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will transfer domestic road and rail technology to Laos and Mongolia. This is an aerial view of a Korea Train eXpress (KTX) trail. (Korea Railroad Corp.)

By Margareth Theresia

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will transfer domestic road and rail technology to Laos and Mongolia.

The ministry on June 2 said it will reinforce cooperation in both sectors with the two countries through official development assistance (ODA).

Laos will receive Korean-standard road design and equipment and technology for road paving. Mongolia can expect a rail network plan linked to the country's mineral resources and a Korean-style system of rail management.

An ODA cooperation team for Laos comprises the ministry, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, and International Contractors Association of Korea. The group on May 28 delivered to the Southeast Asian country equipment to make construction materials for road paving and discussed finding follow-up projects.

The provision of road pavement inspection equipment to Laos, which has many unpaved roads, was made under the ministry's ODA self-reliance project for Laos in road construction and management infrastructure. In addition, support will go to boost Laotian capacity to manage roads through providing and training in Korean standards of road construction suitable for the Southeast Asian country's environment.

Finally, the ministry, Korea Railroad Corp. and Korea Transport Institute, the three sides comprising the ODA cooperation team for Mongolia, on May 30 held a final briefing in Mongolia on devising the strategy for rail development there.

The group's project is to build a rail network connecting major mining bases in the country, a venture considered an opportunity for Korean public institutions and private companies to cooperate in rail construction and operation in Mongolia.

margareth@korea.kr