(Seoul, 28 May 2008) - SK Telecom announced today that Myung Bak Lee, President of Korea paid visit to its ’Korea-China Mobile Service R&D Center’ in Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing to experience China’s homegrown 3G service and encourage researchers of Korea and China.

The center was established in February of 2007 as part of the collaboration between SK Telecom and China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The center made significant contribution to developing commercial 3G service in China by supporting SK Telecom to cooperate with Datang Telecom, the key player of TD-SCDMA development.

SK Telecom recognizes President Lee’s visit to the center as very meaningful saying "Last year, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao visited our TD-SCDMA Testbed Center in Bundang, Korea. Now, with President Lee’s following visit to Korea-China Mobile Service R&D Center, this shows that the two heads are highly interested in the next generation telecommunication technology and this industry is rising as a key economic issue for both countries." 

In his greeting speech, President Lee said "It is a great pleasure to visit the Korea-China Mobile Service R&D Center, which is the very fruit of collaboration between Chinese and Korean telecommunication industries. The center lays a foundation for cooperation between government and private sectors of both countries and will be the symbol of new IT partnership. I sincerely hope two countries will be the center of the global telecommunications industry’s next-generation technology."

President Lee enjoyed the world’s first video call between CDMA and TD-SCDMA network, sending a message of encouragement to Korean handball athlete Young Ran Oh, who is in training at Taereung National Village for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. 

Celebrating the success, SK Telecom said "Korea was the first country in the world that commercialized CDMA and China developed TD-SCDMA with its own technology. Today’s video call between TD-SCDMA and CDMA is not only a meaningful call connecting the two leading communication technologies, but is also a symbol of strong technological partnership and alliance between Korea and China." The company added that Korean handset providers such as Samsung and LG Electronics supported handsets for TD-SCDMA development and said "The collaboration is expected to pave the way for local industries of handset manufacturing, communication devices, software, and content to enter the China market."

Chairman of SK Corporation Tae Won Chey and CEO of SK Telecom Shin Bae Kim greeted President Lee at the center. Kim said "China is the world’s largest telecommunications market with unlimited potential in its size and growth pace. Since 1991, as the first Korean company that entered the China market, SK Group has been driving business in China with a long term perspective." Kim also emphasized that SK Telecom has followed a policy for co-growth with the Chinese government and local industries, saying "The policy has been the basis of Korea-China Mobile Service R&D Center and our recent investment in China Unicom shares."

Today, Kim announced "Korea-China Telecommunication Cooperation Plan’that focused on joint development of next generation technology and telecommunications service collaboration. Firstly, SK Telecom will participate in the development of technology standard including TD-SCDMA and 4G communication. Next, while maintaining cooperation with China Unicom, SK Telecom will seek more diverse business opportunities in the Chinese market as the company has all three 3G technologies of CDMA 2000, WCDMA, and TD-SCDMA.

Kim said "Building on the joint development efforts and telecommunication service collaboration, SK Telecom will strive to make significant contribution to the growth of the telecommunication industries in Korea and China."

At the ceremony, many leading figures from both countries attended showing high expectation for the cooperation. The attendants from Korea included Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Myung Hwan Yu, Chief Advisor for Foreign Affairs and Security Byung Kook Kim, Chief Advisor for Economy Choong Soo Kim, Minister of Education, Science, and Technology Doh Yeon Kim, Korean Ambassador to China Jung Seung Shin, and Chairman of SK Corporation Tae Won Chey. From China, Deputy Director of NDRC Zhang Xiao Qiang and Chinese Ambassador to Korea Ning Fu Kui attended the ceremony.