Reprinted with permission of Asia Pulse

Seoul to Host World Venture Technology Festival

SEOUL -- More than 500 emerging technology companies are to be represented at the World Venture Festival 2000 (WVF2000) in Seoul on December 11-16 this year.

Technology, telecommunications, e-commerce, internet, wireless, biotech, animation/graphics, software and electronic gaming companies will meet with investors, venture capitalists, journalists, government officials, service professionals and other targeted individuals at the forum.

"The growth of entrepreneurially-oriented venture companies has been astounding over the past few years - not only in Korea - but all over the world," said Han-Soo Yu, Chairman of the WVF2000 Organizing Committee and CBF Financial Group in a statement.

"The WVF2000 will provide a forum in which these firms can meet with investors and potential customers and alliance partners while receiving the training they will need to compete in international markets."

Encompassing four events, the WVF2000 will feature a conference with two days of networking sessions and speakers including Han-Dong Lee, Prime Minister of Korea; Peter Sutherland, President of Goldman Sachs International (invited) and Faqir Chand Kohli, Deputy Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services, India's largest software services firm and Stratton Sclavo, President/CEO of VeriSign, a leading provider of Internet-based trust services.

The forum also includes an exhibition of more than 500 technology-oriented companies from Korea and other countries and workshop sessions.

"Korea quickly embraced the internet in the aftermath of the 1997 financial crisis and the country now ranks among the most competitive in the world in terms of internet, broadband, wireless and on-line trading penetration rates - as well as a wide range of e-business applications," said Keith W. Rabin, president of KWR International, a consulting firm working with the WVF2000.

"International investors and technology firms have begun to take notice and the WVF2000 offers them a first hand opportunity to identify interesting investment opportunities and to observe the factors that have contributed to this success."

(C) 2000 Asia Pulse Pte Ltd