S. Korea begins work to improve food security in ASEAN

South Korea will help improve food security in Southeast Asian countries, using its advanced technology to provide detailed information on regional and global food conditions, the government said Wednesday.

The project will begin in Laos where the country will help set up a real-time agricultural information system, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

An agreement to that effect was to be signed in Vientiane later in the day.

Under the agreement, South Korea will build a national system that shows food supply conditions in the Southeast Asian region and throughout the world.

Such information will be shared by South Korea and all 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, helping them prepare for a possible food shortage or price hikes, the ministry official said.

The Laos project is part of South Korea's official development aid program for ASEAN countries, which seeks to help establish what is called the ASEAN Food Security Information System.

South Korea plans to spend up to 2.1 billion won ($2 million) to help set up the information system in six other countries by 2016, including Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

The ministry will also help train officials from Southeast Asian nations to operate the systems, it said. (Yonhap)