Phnom Penh (FN), Sep. 12 – Former Speaker of the South Korean National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo hosted a luncheon on 11 September 2024 for Cambodian Senate President, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, in Seoul, South Korea.

The former speaker of the National Assembly recalled that during his first visit to Cambodia, he recognised Samdech Techo's efforts to strengthen and expand relations between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea. He commended Samdech Techo for leading Cambodia to achieve significant peace and development and expressed confidence that Samdech Techo would continue to lead Cambodia towards further progress.

On this occasion, Kim Jin-pyo introduced Samdech Techo to Chairman of Camko Motor and Camko Infracore Park Joo-bong, as well as Rector of Korea Polytechnic University Kim Dong-ho. The purposes of the introduction were to further strengthen and expand Cambodia's economy and human resource training, particularly in modern technology. This could take place either in the Republic of Korea or in Cambodia.

Kim Jin-pyo underlined the importance of providing technical training to Cambodian workers so that they can contribute to the development of Cambodia’s electric vehicle assembly industry for export. Additionally, he underlined the need to train Cambodian human resources who could work in the Republic of Korea to gain experience and, upon returning to Cambodia, apply modern technologies to contribute to the assembly of electric vehicles and the production of components for other vehicles.

The former speaker, along with Chairman of Camko Motor and Camko Infracore Park Joo-bong expressed their intention to begin assembling electric vehicles in Cambodia in the near future, as the global demand for electric vehicles continues to rise. They affirmed that electric vehicles utilising Korean technology, particularly in terms of battery quality, are of excellent standard.

The former speaker stated that for Cambodia to develop rapidly in the future, it must embrace modern technology and cultivate highly skilled human resources.

For his part, Samdech Techo expressed his pleasure at having the opportunity to attend the luncheon with the former speaker of the National Assembly in Seoul once again.
Samdech Techo commended the global shift towards the use of electric vehicles, highlighting their contribution to environmental and climate protection. Although the adoption of electric vehicles in Cambodia is still limited, he expressed hope that, in the future, the use of electric vehicles with modern technology would increase.

The chairman of Camko Motor and Camko Infracore informed Samdech Techo that his company has now begun operations in Cambodia and intends to assemble cars for both domestic use and export. To ensure the success of the company, he underlined the need for human resources, particularly in providing skills training for employees.

Samdech Techo, along with the chairman of Camko Motor and the rector of Korea Polytechnic University, which oversees around 40 institutes in Korea, proposed the option of training professional instructors in Korea. Upon their return to Cambodia, these trained professionals could then educate Cambodian workers.

It should be noted that in May 2024, Camko Motor paid a courtesy call on the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet during his visit and received his approval to study and promote the establishment of an electric car factory in Cambodia. This initiative would give Cambodia the opportunity not only to serve the domestic market but also to export electric vehicles.

Camko Motor also plans to expand its manufacturing activities. The chairman assured Samdech Techo that he would work diligently to ensure the project's success, thereby contributing to the development of the Cambodian economy. In addition, the rector of Korea Polytechnic University plans to establish a multi-technical institute in Cambodia to train skilled workers. He noted that his university has historically contributed to the development of the Republic of Korea, which is now highly advanced in assembling high-tech vehicles and has a strong pool of human resources.

The rector also informed Samdech Techo that his university possesses sufficient materials and expertise to help meet Cambodia’s training needs. The first priority is to establish a university equipped with all the necessary technical resources to facilitate this process.

After discussing whether to construct a new building or open a new department for this initiative, Samdech Techo recommended collaborating with Chea Vandeth, as well as the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, to explore the possibility of offering both short-term and long-term training programs. He suggested that these programs could utilise existing universities or vocational training institutes under the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training. Samdech Techo tasked Chea Vandeth with continuing discussions with the relevant ministries in Cambodia to ensure the development of highly skilled human resources capable of working both in Cambodia and the Republic of Korea in the future.

Samdech Techo also underlined that he, along with the Royal Government of Cambodia, under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Manet, has developed a vocational training plan for 1.5 million young people, which is being gradually implemented. He invited the Korean side to participate in this project.
=FRESH NEWS