From the Korea Herald:
The South Korean Ministry of Science and Technology yesterday announced this year’s cooperative science and technology projects between South and North Korea.
The ministry selected 15 projects, including new and ongoing ones. They are regarded as having future viability and continuity, the ministry said.
These projects will be supported for the next three years at least, while being evaluated on a regular basis, the ministry said.
For the South-North cooperative science projects, the ministry has invested a total of 4.8 billion won from 1999 to 2005. The ministry has allocated 650 million won for this year.
The 15 projects include the Korea Transport Institute’s peninsula-wide traffic specifications; Korea Center for Disease Control & Prevention’s study on malaria in North Korea; the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technologies’ study on chemical products as basic necessities; Pohang University of Science and Technology’s training program for computing specialists; Inha University’s initiative to develop North Korea’s wind power resources; Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials’ research on North Korea-originated magnesite; Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology’s development of cold-resistant sweet potatoes to alleviate North Korea’s food shortage.
Also, there are Andong University’s South-North comparative study on fossils in the paleozoic era; Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources’ peninsula-wide geological map; Science & Technology Policy Institute’s analysis on North Korea’s science and technology policy; Seoul National University’s parasite control technology; and Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information’s project for North Korean infrastructure building.
The project selection utilized the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information’s analysis tool for documents and patents, the ministry added.
Dubbed “KITAS,” the tool has helped the ministry analyze North Korea’s 22 different kinds of academic documents, which amounted to 38,000 volumes.
The ministry then selected promising areas of cooperation, which include biotechnology, machine manufacture, and non-metal mineral exploitation.
With its food crisis, North Korea has a particular interest in biotechnology, such as plant breeding and rabbit cloning, the ministry said.
“I think biotechnology cooperation between the two Koreas will be very promising,” said Yoon Dae-sang at the ministry’s science-technology cooperation division.
