South Korea’s telecom giant KT Corp. will lend its IT prowess to address food shortages across the globe in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

KT said Tuesday it has signed a partnership contract with FAO to cooperate in UN projects to fight poverty and hunger in the world through its technologies. KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu and José Graziano da Silva, the director-general of FAO, attended the signing ceremony held on the same day in Seoul, according to KT.

FAO is an UN-affiliated organization that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives.

KT and FAO partnership covers sustainable development goals, agricultural technology development using KT’s ICT technologies, agricultural skills training and related job creation.

The partnership was built after a year-long discussion since FAO officials visited KT headquarters in August last year with an interest in its GiGA Island project that connected a small island located in the southeast part of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, with wireless services to address the digital divide in 2017.

A day before on Monday, FAO opened its liaison office in Seoul, the third regional outpost of an UN-affiliated organization in Korea.

By Shin Chan-ok and Lee Ha-yeon

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