Microsoft president discusses cloud biz, data center in S. Korea

A Microsoft Corp. senior executive met South Korea‘s telecommunications regulator on Thursday to discuss ways to expand ties with South Korea by collaborating on new businesses that may include building a data center, government officials said.

Jean Philippe Courtois, president of Microsoft’s international business, met Choi See-joong, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), in Seoul to talk about the U.S. company‘s investment opportunities in the country and measures to forge collaborations with Korean companies, the commission said in a statement.

Microsoft is currently reviewing several options as a way to expand its presence in the Asian country and to step up a cloud business in the fledgling market that is considered to have good potential. Cloud business covers services such as data processing and online data storage by mobile devices and computers.

The U.S. company said it is positively considering building and operating a data center in South Korea.

Courtois, who leads the U.S. computer software giant’s sales, marketing and services in global markets, also paid visits to Samsung Electronics Co. and leading steelmaker POSCO during his visit to Seoul.

The Microsoft executive is among a string of high-level business leaders from U.S. technology companies who have visited South Korea in recent weeks.

Eric Schmidt, chairman and former CEO of Google, and Paul Jacobs, chairman of Qualcomm Inc., met local government and business officials earlier this month.

(Yonhap News)