Kakao Mobility to develop EV, self-driving tech with Vietnam's Vingroup

South Korea's Kakao Mobility is collaborating with Vietnam's No. 1 corporation Vingroup JSC and Southeast Asia's biggest information and communication technology (ICT) company FPT.

Kakao Mobility, which joined the economic delegation accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to Vietnam, on Sunday said it signed an agreement with Vingroup to develop electric vehicles (EV) and self-driving technology.

Kakao Mobility will provide technologies such as high-precision maps for self-driving services and Vingroup will cooperate in the production of eco-friendly EVs and charging station infrastructure.

Kakao Mobility also discussed technology and personnel exchange and cooperation in startup investment with FPT, which has an estimated 30,000 ICT staff, and will form a long-term cooperation system such as industrial-academia links with universities in Vietnam.

"I think that it's meaningful to represent Korean ICT companies in discussing cooperation plans with Vietnam's largest company Vingroup and FPT," Kakao Mobility CEO Ryu Gun-seong said.

Write to Jin-Won Kim at jin1@hankyung.com