South Korean shipbuilders will work to infuse information and communication technology into their field in order to raise their competitiveness, the country's information ministry said Tuesday.
Under the plan, local shipyards will adopt information technology to develop software and infrastructure needed for their work, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.
The shipbuilding sector and ICT firms will also work together to promote ICT-based shipbuilding technology, it said.
"In order to help the South Korean economy take a leap amid the global economic slowdown, the manufacturing segment will work to infuse ICT-based technology into their work," Choi Jae-you, vice minister of science, ICT and future planning, said in a ceremony to mark the move held in Ulsan, home to the country's major shipyards.
Local shipyards, faced with a protracted slump amid falling orders, will be able to rebound on the back of the ICT infusion, he said.
South Korean shipbuilders have been under severe financial strain since the 2008 global economic crisis which sent new orders tumbling amid a glut of vessels and tougher competition from Chinese rivals. (Yonhap)
