ASEAN Workshop boosts Lao PDR's e-commerce sector

By Rachel Lee

The ASEAN-Korea Centre held a workshop in Vientiane to boost Laos’ e-commerce sector on July 5.

The “Capacity Building Workshop for Expanding Business Opportunities in E-Commerce” aimed to share Korea’s development strategies and business practices, contributing to the development of the e-commerce sector in the ASEAN nation.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) of Lao PDR and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) co-organized the event.

“As more and more businesses are moving away from traditional offline stores and going online, electronic commerce has increasingly become an important part of doing cross-border business,” ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Young-sun said.

“Lao PDR has a great potential to develop its e-commerce sector, as broadband internet access is widely available in Vientiane and in other parts of the country. I hope this workshop serves as a platform not only to enhance the competitiveness of Laos’ e-commerce sector but also to expand digital business opportunities between Lao PDR and Korea.”

At Wednesday’s opening ceremony, the secretary general, Korean Ambassador to Lao PDR Yun Kang-hyeon and high-ranking officials from the MPI were present.

Following the ceremony, experts and business representatives from Korea and Lao PDR made presentations on the themes ”Overview of Korea’s E-Commerce Development Strategies,” “Policies and Opportunities in Lao PDR’s E-Commerce Industry,” “How to Enhance Cross-border E-Commerce” and “Business Start-up for SMEs.”

The Korean delegation included experts from the Korea International Trade Association, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Changgong E-Commerce Laboratory and Kyungpook National University.

Recognizing the importance of the ASEAN-Korea partnership in the digital era, the ASEAN-Korea Centre has been carrying out several programs in digital industries.

“The workshop that will be held in Lao PDR is part of back-to-back workshops in Lao PDR and in Cambodia that will enable the ASEAN-Korea Centre to learn about the current status and potential of the e-commerce industries of the two countries,” the organization said.

A similar workshop will be held in Seoul in August.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organization established in 2009 with an aim to promote exchanges among Korea and the ten ASEAN member states.