Local Government-Union Mobile Partnership

Developing the Digital-Data Sovereignty Dimension

Korean startups with technology and business management know-how are being sought after in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, Union Mobile, a Korean startup, announced its future business plans at a hotel in downtown Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where it held a vision declaration ceremony for its locally customized mobile platform 'Ankor Life'. Ankor Life was developed and recently launched as a mobile platform that integrates shopping, content, and other functions centered on messengers such as KakaoTalk. Digital Angkor, a local subsidiary owned 49% by Union Mobile and 51% by the Cambodian government, will have the right to operate the business for 15 years.

The project to build the local integrated mobile platform AngkorLife was reportedly initiated at the suggestion of the Cambodian government. “In a situation where there is no platform sovereignty, risks associated with foreign services can erupt at any time, so we wanted to create a service like South Korea's Kakao,” said Cambodia's Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Mur Chhary, in an interview with The Seoul Economic Daily.

Senior Minister Om Yen Tieng, who also attended the event, said, “For the sustainability of mobile services in Cambodia, AngkorLife is an essential platform,” adding, “It will be developed by Korea, which has high technology and will be convenient for users.”