SEOUL: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Seoul Wednesday to help modernize his country's energy-focused economy as gas firm Gazprom said it could massively ramp up supplies to South Korea from 2017. “Russia is interested in the arrival of Korean investors. They bring in modern technologies and introduce a modern culture of production,” Medvedev told Korean and Russian businesspeople during an official visit to South Korea. “For us it is no less important to learn from our partners and establish with them the so-called modernization alliances,” said Medvedev, who is also set to attend the G20 summit on Thursday and Friday. Medvedev has made modernization of Russia's economy a top priority of his presidency, seeking to lessen its dependence on oil and gas exports. His call on Korean business to share hi-tech know-how and expertise came as Russian gas giant Gazprom said it would next month start talks with South Korea's Kogas to deliver at least 10 billion cubic meters (350 billion cubic feet) of natural gas a year to South Korea from 2017. “We currently see a growing market in Korea,” Gazprom's chief executive Alexei Miller told reporters. “Our partners are interested in increasing gas supplies.” An official in the Russian delegation said a preliminary gas deal was signed in Seoul on Wednesday. Miller said the delivery method - a pipeline, compressed gas or liquefied gas - had yet to be agreed and gave no details on the value of the contract. When an initial agreement was signed in 2008, an official quoted by Yonhap news agency said the imports would be worth about 90 billion dollars over three decades. South Korea now imports 1.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas from Russia every year but as one of the world's largest consumers of natural gas it is trying to diversify its sources from Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Russia is seeking a broader consumer base.
