Korea wins first paid overseas address-system project in Uzbekistan

The interior ministry said Wednesday that a Korean consortium has been selected to help Uzbekistan build a national address register, the first overseas order for Korea's address system won on commercial terms rather than as an aid project.

The consortium, led by the state-run Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation and working with Uzbekistan's cadastral agency, beat final competitors from France, Spain, Norway, Poland and Hungary, according to the ministry. The project is a consulting contract to modernize the legal, institutional and technical foundations of address administration in Uzbekistan, which issued the tender to companies worldwide.

"This order in Uzbekistan is recognition on the international stage of the excellence of the Republic of Korea's K-address system," said Kim Min-jae, vice minister of the interior and safety, in a statement released with the announcement. Kim also said the ministry would strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors and support Korean companies seeking to enter overseas markets.

A 2025 feasibility study preceded the order, followed by a memorandum of understanding in September 2025 and capacity-building and on-site training in 2026.

A kickoff briefing and the first on-site survey, including inspections of candidate sites for a pilot project, are scheduled for Thursday in Uzbekistan. From Nov. 22 to 28, the ministry will host six Uzbek officials handling digital and address affairs, including a deputy head of the cadastral agency, for a training program on Korean address-system expertise.

The ministry said it will help Korean companies that supply IT and address-information services join the main national address-register construction project expected to follow, as well as work linked to multilateral development banks. It added that it will set up a framework for exchanges and cooperation between the two countries after the project is completed.