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The central building of the Government Complex Sejong, which houses the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. /Photo by Kim Bo-young

South Korea's road-name address system has won a contract to provide technical assistance for the establishment of Uzbekistan's national address register, beating competitors from five European countries, including France and Spain.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) announced Wednesday that South Korea had been selected for the approximately $330,000 project commissioned by Uzbekistan's Cadastre Agency to provide technical assistance for establishing the country's national address register. Secured against competition from five European countries, including France and Spain, the contract marks the first revenue-generating overseas project for Korea's K-Address system, opening a new chapter for the overseas expansion of the domestic address information industry.

The government has continued cooperating with Uzbekistan to modernize its address system. Last year, the MOIS pursued a feasibility study and the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation. This year, it conducted capacity-building training and technical consulting for local officials, laying the groundwork for further cooperation.

The contract is particularly significant because it marks a shift beyond traditional aid projects, with Korean address information technology directly generating revenue overseas.

The MOIS plans to ensure the successful completion of the project and actively support the participation of domestic information technology companies and businesses using address information in the subsequent full-scale National Address Register project and projects linked to multilateral development banks.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan's Cadastre Agency and Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation (LX), the lead contractor in the consortium, will hold a project kickoff meeting and conduct the first on-site survey in Uzbekistan on Thursday. They also plan to visit the pilot project site for an inspection.

In addition, six officials responsible for digital systems and address administration, including a deputy director of Uzbekistan's Cadastre Agency, will be invited to South Korea from Nov. 22 to 28 for a "K-Address Capacity-Building Training Program." The training will share South Korea's experience in improving address-related laws and regulations and operating its address information management system, helping build momentum for Uzbekistan's local address improvement project.

"Winning the Uzbekistan project demonstrates that the excellence of South Korea's K-Address system has been recognized on the international stage," said Kim Min Jae, Vice Minister of the Interior and Safety. "We will strengthen public-private cooperation and support Korean companies' overseas expansion so that K-Address can spread worldwide as a global standard."

                                                                                                            Kim Bo-young