On October 29th, Barak Obama met with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore at the White House. In the Oval Office, Lee said it was his honor to see Obama "at a time of renewal and change in America, and during a period of transition where the world order is changing." From his inauguration in the White House, Obama mentioned that he wants to improve relationships with influential East Asian countries.
Obama's trip to Singapore includes his inaugural appearances at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and a meeting with the leaders of Japan, China, and finally South Korea on October 18th. Jeffrey Bader, a senior director for Asian affairs on the National Security Council staff, mentioned that "President Obama has special interest in South Korea." Presidents of South Korea and the US have kept a sound relationship through the London G-20 summit and the Washington summit, and agreed on the Korean-American Future Alliance.
The Korean-American Future Alliance not only includes a military alliance but also embraces a strategic alliance which covers politics, society, and culture. Declaration of the alliance implies both countries' intention to make a Low Carbon Green Growth strategy into prosperous economic development. From now on, both countries have to actualize specific parts of this alliance. The improvement of the Low Carbon Green Growth strategy will require both countries' political and technological cooperation.
On October 5th, the National Information Society Agency (NIA) opened the Korea-US ICT Policy Forum at the World Bank in Washington DC. The forum, sponsored by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the World Bank, and the Intel Corporation, attracted more than 20 institutions including the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and more than 100 high ranking officials. They shared ideas on such broad topics as knowledge-based infrastructure, green IT, and new workforce creation. At this forum, the US' friendly attitude was noticeable. The World Bank freely rented space to a Korean public institution. The World Bank also broadcast the forum to five World Bank country stations including Russia and India through live webcasting. The World Bank indicated that it would apply some crucial points discussed at this forum to its future policy.
Distinguished scholars such as the Director of the Division of Interdisciplinary Training at the NIBIB, the chief economist, the executive of World Bank ICT, and the vice president of Big Green Innovations in IBM Systems & Technology Group (STG), advocated the importance of Korean-American IT Cooperation for both countries' economic development.
Latin American Development Bank (IDB) showed the interest at this forum by recording crucial discussions. At the individual meeting with IDB, representatives of IDB questioned about cooperation projects, based on high quality ICT service in Korea, with developing countries, and asked for more attention and investment to Latin American countries. National Information Society Agency (NIA) assured its IT cooperation with Latin American countries to improve lives of their people.
At the forum, many countries once again valued South Korea's proactive measures and contributions to cope with the global financial crises. Considering impending G-20 meeting in Seoul next year, both South Korea and America will have to fortify the ICT cooperation for the future oriented vision of the world's peace and prosperity