SEOUL, Oct 10: SK Telecom Co., South Korea’s top mobile operator, has submitted a bid proposal for Pakcom, a Pakistan telecom company, the Korea Economic Daily reported, citing a senior SK Telecom official.

“We have put in a proposal and are waiting for a reply,” the newspaper quoted SK Telecom Vice Chairman Cho Jung-nam as saying when asked about market speculation that it had contacted Pakcom about a possible stake purchase.

The mobile company also left the door open to buying a stake in US wireless firm Sprint Nextel, Cho said.

“We are interested in potential deals with Asian companies, including Pakistan,” SK Telecom’s spokesman told Reuters. He declined to elaborate.

The South Korean company, which owns half of its home market, is keen to find growth overseas. It invested $1 billion in China Unicom Ltd.’s bonds last year and converted them in August into a 6.6 per cent stake in the Chinese company.—Reuters