The following is an unofficial transcript, the original article appears in Spanish.
For Paraguay to exploit harness its advantages it will be “absolutely necessary” to improve its competitiveness by maximizing and optimizing its transportation, logistics and road infrastructure, said Woo-hyun Cho, former vice minister of Construction and Transportation of Korea.
The head of think tank IDPPS (Instituto de Desarrollo del Pensamiento Patria Soñada), Dr. José Altamirano, opened the International Symposium on Paraguay-Korea relations.
Addressing the meeting’s theme “First International Symposium Towards an Alliance Between Paraguay and South Korea,” the former senior Korean official said that our country is at a “critical moment” where it needs to expand its highways, ports, railways, airports, etc.. “It will not only reduce travel time from one side of the country to another, it will also increase the effectiveness of all economic foundations. It will be an essential element in the development of all industries,” noted Cho Woo-Hyun.
He explained historically, the foundation for Korea’s growth from a war-torn, to developing and eventually into a developed country began with the construction of the Bu-Kyung highway. He explained that this investment continues today, all with private capital put into construction projects like the new airport in Incheon, the new port in Pusan ​​and highways. In addition, there has been construction of the high-speed railway, KTX, and ports in Incheon and Pyung-Tek.
He admitted that the Republic of Korea “is very poor” in natural resources, which has made it difficult to gain a competitive advantage. But he said Korea has become globally competitive in the areas of information technology, semiconductors, communications, cars and technologies, enabling it to create a large export industry, which is due to the initial expansion of its infrastructure.
In that regard, he cautioned, the effort of a single country is not enough for building such infrastructures. In this global age it is important and necessary to have cooperation between countries and private capital. He emphasized that the Korean Government is operating several programs for mutual benefit.
Dispersion of efforts
For his part, President of IDPPS, Dr. José Altamirano, event organizer, warned against the dispersion of efforts. He urged Paraguay to seize the opportunities opening them. He looked towards the example of South Korea, a developing country like ours that has become a developed country. He urged for an end to “petty individualism.”
For the original article in Spanish visit ABC Color: http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/economia/nuestro-pais-debe-mejorar-su-logistica-transporte-e-infraestructuras-viales-1256663.html
