South Korea's ICT minister said Wednesday the most important factor for emerging countries to build ICT infrastruture that touts sustainable development is corporate investment, adding that there are limits in continuing growth via aid.

"South Korea held talks with delegates from many countries, with most of them lacking high-tech infrastructure at home," ICT Minister Choi Yang-hee told reporters. "They are mostly interested in how Seoul posted rapid growth in the 1970s and 80s."

"Rather than short-term aid, we are planning to set up a comprehensive support plan that can allow countries to experience rapid economic and social growth based on IT," he added, putting more emphasis on corporate investment for sustainability.

South Korea is scheduled to hold minister-level bilateral ICT talks with 17 countries during the three-week International Telecommunications Union gathering being held here in Busan, the country's largest port city.

The talks will mainly focus on emerging markets, including China, Mongolia, Mexico, Israel and Poland, as well as African countries such as Ghana, South Africa and Tunisia.

The 19th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, referred to as PP-14, continues until to Nov. 7. The event is held every four years, and it is the second time for the event to be held in Asia. (Yonhap)