Future Partnership
Yuliia Svyrydenko, first deputy prime minister of Ukraine who is visiting Korea, expressed her wish to see major Korean companies participate in projects to rebuild a postwar Ukraine.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine in Seoul held a meeting on the future cooperation between Korea and Ukraine at the KCCI Chamber Lounge on May 16.
Ukraine’s reconstruction project, dubbed the “second Marshall Plan,” has been accelerating in the form of loans and investments from governments of countries around the world, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and others.
“The Korean people sympathize with the Ukrainian people over their sufferings due to the war,” said Woo Tae-hee, senior vice chairman of the KCCI. “Korea has experiences in post-war reconstruction after the Korean War and realized the ‘Miracle of the Han River.’ We look forward to seeing Korean companies play many important roles in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.”
“We are grateful to Korea for its friendship with and trust in Ukraine,” Svyrydenko said, noting that the two countries have successfully maintained cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the war with trade volume reaching more than US$800 million over the past three years.
“Ukraine has great growth potential in the fields of green energy and green hydrogen,” Svyrydenko added. “Ukraine would like to cooperate with Korean companies with excellent technology in many fields such as green metals and green fertilizers,” she said. “Ukraine is also an excellent potential market for special equipment for nuclear power plants, as it runs nuclear power plants.”
Alexander Griban, deputy minister of economic development and trade for Ukraine, introduced the Ukrainian reconstruction project, saying, “The three main objectives are to strengthen resilience, promote recovery, and modernize,” adding, “The scale of the project is up to US$89.32 billion. The project will be implemented over 10 years.”