State land developer inks deal to build capital in south Sudan

LH Corp., South Korea's state-run land developer, said Thursday that it signed a preliminary deal to cooperate with the South Sudanese government in building a new capital for the soon-to-be independent country.
Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) inked with officials from the government of South Sudan at the company headquarters, south of Seoul, LH said that it will provide "technical" support in drawing up a master plan for the construction of the new capital.
In January, southern Sudanese people held a referendum for their independence and decided to break away from the North. The country will declare its official independence next month.
They now have a capital in Juba located in the southern area but its government is reportedly mulling construction of a new city better suited for the independent country.
"Our expertise in city development that has been accumulated over the past 50 years will likely provide help to southern Sudanese for the construction of their new capital," said Lee Ji-song, president of LH, after signing the MOU.
South Korea has been pushing to cooperate with the newly created oil-rich African country in reconstructing the area that has been long mired in civil strife. Sudan is Africa's largest country and most of its oil production comes from the southern part of the nation.