KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu introduced the mobile carrier’s information and communication technology solutions for Boracay, a small island in the Philippines, suggesting turning the tourist island into a “smart” one in a meeting with Philippine government officials, the company said Wednesday.

In a meeting with acting Minister Eliseo Mijares Rio Jr. of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, incoming ICT Minister Gregorio Honasan and Jonas R. Leones, vice minister for environment, who visited Seoul as part of the summit between the Philippine and South Korean presidents, KT Chairman Hwang discussed cooperative measures for development of the Philippines’ ICT technologies.

Hwang presented KT’s ICT-based energy and security solutions to the officials and suggested transforming Philippines’ Boracay into a smart island. 

Visited by around 2 million tourists every year, the Boracay island has been closed for six months for environmental rehabilitation and refurbishment of public utilities.

KT hopes to take part in the refurbishing project for Boracay, eyeing further expansion into the Southeast Asian region by making “smart Boracay” a model case.

“If the Boracay project is accepted by the Philippines government, it will be a good opportunity to introduce Korea’s lead in ICT solutions to global travelers,” Hwang said.

The Korean mobile carrier has been accelerating its foray into the Southeast Asia. It installed public Wi-Fi in a national park in Cambodia and provided its GiGa LTE solution for Thailand’s mobile service.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)