By Kim Young-jin
As Laos steadily increases its engagement with the world, it is looking to deepen interaction with Korea and learn from Seoul’s rapid development, a visiting official said Friday.
The small communist country, which began de-centralizing control of its economy and encouraging private enterprise in the 1980s, has seen rapid growth in recent years. But the official said Laos has serious work ahead, for which it has drawn important lessons from Korea.
“As a country that has moved to a market-oriented (approach), we still have to develop our capacity,” said Sengsomphone Viravouth, director general of planning at Laos’ Ministry of Education and Sports. “Capacity-building and institutional development will be our driving forces. We want to see the key driving forces behind Korea’s development.”
Viravouth led a delegation of nine Lao officials and academics that visited Korea this week on a trip to learn about the country’s rapid development, organized by the Asia Foundation and the Korea Development Institute (KDI).
Laos, one of the few remaining communist states and a country that maintains ties with North Korea, still faces problems of widespread poverty and weaknesses in its infrastructure.
On the trip, the delegation identified specific strengths that have propelled Korea’s rise from the devastating 1950-53 Korean War: human resource development, research, information technology and rural development.
One major problem for the resource-rich country is a lack of skilled workers, prompting foreign investors to bring in outside labor for major projects in mining and hydropower.
“For most large projects, investors bring workers from China and Vietnam. This doesn’t help reduce poverty. That’s why education must be enhanced to develop the skills of Lao people,” he said.
“Korea was able to link education and development, and the whole nation was strengthened.”
Korea, which recently transitioned from an aid recipient to an aid donor, has set itself up as a bridge between developing and advanced nations. It has placed emphasis on sharing its developmental model with other countries.
Visiting the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the delegation was impressed with the high capacity of Korean civil servants. At the KDI ㅡ which was set up by the government ㅡ they saw the role of think tanks in developing policy.
The official added that he was impressed by Korea’s expertise in information technology and that building capacity in that sector was important for growth in Laos.
Both Seoul and the Asia Foundation have been working with the Southeast Asian state in areas such as rural development and poverty reduction. The Korea International Cooperation Agency has worked to teach Laotians about the Saemaul Movement, an initiative of the late President Park Chung-hee that sought to empower rural communities.
Viravouth said he drew inspiration from Korea’s can-do spirit.
“Like Korea we need a transitional period to work hard on making savings for the future. We have to change the mindset of our people and believe that there is nothing we cannot do,” he said.