KT queries U.S. on North gear

KT Corp. said yesterday that it has asked the U.S. Commerce Department to check whether the equipment it is sending to North Korea to build telecommunication lines is in violation of American regulations on the export of strategic goods. This is the first time a Korean company has consulted with the United States about the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, which require American exporters to receive U.S. approval before sending strategic material to terrorism-sponsoring countries. Approval is also required if U.S. technology makes up more than 10 percent of a foreign product. U.S. authorities have not yet responded to KT’s query. Foreign companies are not bound by the U.S. regulations but are advised to comply with them, especially if the United States is a major market. KT, Korea’s largest communications company, is planning to export seven kinds of strategic materials, including switchboards and transmission equipment, to set up direct telephone and fax services between South Korea and the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the North. In May, KT signed an agreement with a telecommunications company in the North to build telecommunications lines in Kaesong Industrial Complex. by Park Sung-ha