YANGON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- An old South Korean scholarship winners in Myanmar will form an association to work for promoting Myanmar-South Korea friendship and carry out social undertakings, sources with the resident (South) Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) said on Tuesday.

Funded by the KOICA, the association will perform voluntary works in urgently-needed poor villages in various parts of Myanmar, the sources said, adding that such move will help boost bilateral friendship between the two countries.

According to the KOICA, during this year, more than 120 Myanmar outstanding students were sent to S. Korea under the country's scholarship program, bringing the total number of such students to over 1,000.

Meanwhile, the South Korean government is also sending more overseas volunteers to work in Myanmar's agricultural, technical and health sectors during the year, it said.

The KOICA disclosed that South Korea has sent a total of 104 volunteers to Myanmar since 1997, while Myanmar dispatched a total of 1,000 state employees to S. Korea for undergoing training since1991.

As part of the two countries' technical cooperation in the irrigation sector, the KOICA is also building an irrigation-related laboratory center in country's second largest city of Mandalay.

The KOICA has stationed in Myanmar since 1991 providing the technical expertise and equipment needed for social service organizations as well as training in related fields.