Corporations can conduct trade-related operations including export-import goods declaration, tax refund and foreign exchange via the Internet.

MOCIE (Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy) announced that it decided to provide "Internet-based integrated trade management solutions" to more than 6,000 small and medium firms over the next three years, until 2005, as KTNET recently completed system development.

These solutions will be available first to 1,000 small trading corporations next year, with the number increasing by 2,000 by 2004 and by 3,000 by 2005.

MOCIE is also developing ways for these firms to use this system free of charge except the installation cost.

Integrated trade solutions support XML/EDI documents, linking EDI, a closed- type telecommunications network, and XML, the Internet standard extensible document, and enabling corporations to easily conduct trade activities wherever the Internet available.

The system also supports general commercial operations such as accounting to stimulate e-commerce by these small and medium firms.

A MOCIE official said, "In fact, the EDI-based e-trade system has experienced difficulties in linking related organizations such as customs houses with general trading work of corporations. Moreover they suffered from heavy costs to install VAN leased line to link them. The integrated solutions are expected to solve these problems.