OSAKA -- A South Korean food and cultural complex will open in the Rinku area near Kansai International Airport in February 2005 to promote friendship between Japan and South Korea, it was announced Monday.

The Rinku Korea Village will be built on a 2.9-hectare site in Izumisano by Rinku Korea Corp., which was established Friday.

"Osaka is a place where many Korean residents live, and exchanges between Koreans and Japanese are active," Moon Guk Joo, president of the company, told a news conference at the Korean Consulate General.

"I hope the RKV will serve as a base for promoting further relationships between Korean and Japanese people," he said.

The complex has been designed to give visitors the sensation of visiting a South Korean town, with restaurants, food stalls and shops selling a wide range of products, according to Rinku Korea officials.

The area will also feature an event zone, where traditional Korean entertainment and cooking classes will be held, and a section in which South Korean firms can display their products, the officials said.

The complex is expected to attract more than 3 million visitors annually.

The Osaka Prefectural Government, hoping to revitalize the area, suggested the plan to South Korean businesses.

The prefecture will "do everything except extending money to support the project," according to the officials.

Rinku Korea is capitalized at 40 million yen, with Koreans putting up 52 percent and Japanese covering the remainder. The capital is expected to be increased to 1 billion yen in May 2005.