The World Bank and Korea Communications Commission (KCC) will sign a deal next
week on a joint project to establish a "Global Cybersecurity Center" in South
Korea, officials said Sunday.
The World Bank, headed by Korean-born
physician Jim Yong Kim, proposed it set up the center in South Korea in late
2013, they said.
The facility will be tasked with promoting
cybersecurity and other information protection in developing nations.
"The World Bank and KCC plan to sign a memorandum of understanding on
establishing the center in South Korea," a South Korean government official
said.
The signing ceremony will be held in the World Bank headquarters
in Washington on Jan. 15, he added.
Hong Sung-kyu, a standing
commissioner at KCC, and Grace Yabrudy, the acting vice president of the World
Bank, will sign the agreement. KCC is in charge of Seoul's policy on the
internet, broadcasting and telecommunications sectors.
The 187-nation
World Bank aims to reduce poverty and support development, serving as a vital
source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries.
World Bank President Kim has expressed hope that South Korea will play an active
role in the campaign as a country that has risen from the ashes of the 1950-53
Korean War to become a vibrant democracy and a major global economic
power.