Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao said a Korea Desk will be set up at the Korea-Andhra Pradesh Friendship Forum held in Visakhpatnam on Tuesday. Minister for Information Technology and Public Relations Palle Raghunadh Reddy (from left), Ambassador of Republic of Korea to India Lee Joon-gyu, and HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao listen to Chief Secretary Rao's speech./ Photographed by Ha Man-joo

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By Ha Man-joo, India correspondent, AsiaToday - Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao said on Tuesday that it will set up a Korea desk.

The Chief Secretary said the Korea desk is a measure by the state government to facilitate Korean investors at the 'Korea-Andhra Pradesh Friendship Forum' held in a hotel in Visakhpatnam on Tuesday. He said, "For Korean companies, the state will conduct 'Plus 1' policy, in which the state will add another benefit to the benefit offered by other states."

He said, "The World Bank report on Ease of Doing Business has ranked AP second. We look forward to Korean companies' investment in state capital Amaravathi in infrastructure and smart cities."

The forum was attended by nearly 200 AP state government officials, businessmen, and journalists. At the one-to-one counseling between Korean and AP companies held following the forum, 20 Korean companies including Samsung Electronics attended and discussed with 60 AP-based companies about cooperation and investment plans.
 
During the event, five small Korean businesses that belong to the 'KOTRA New Delhi Export Incubator Center', which is operated under Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) New Delhi branch, achieved fruitful results of signing sales and supply contracts.  

Nearly 200 AP state government officials, businessmen, and journalists listen to forum presentations at the Korea-Andhra Pradesh Friendship Forum held in Visakhpatnam on Tuesday./ Photographed by Ha Man-joo

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Local media outlets, including Times of India and The Hindu, expressed high interest in the 'Korea Caravan' event and had a series of interviews with Ambassador of Republic of Korea to India Lee Joon-gyu.