Korea`s

Korea's
Contribution to
the World
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Development
Peace and Security
Green Growth
The Republic of Korea,
Sharing Hope with the Rest of the World
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Republic of Korea
Nightscape of Seoul (2011)
Sharing a Story of Hope
From One of the Poorest Nations
To the World’s 13th Largest Economy
Evacuees during the Korean War (1950-53)
In the aftermath of the Korean War, Korea’s per capita national income stood at USD
67. In less than half a century, however, Korea achieved extraordinary economic
development, democratization, and social stability to emerge as the 13th largest
economy in the world. With its successful hosting of the G20 Seoul Summit in 2010,
Korea has further secured its standing as a valuable member of the global community.
Such remarkable development may be attributed to various factors. The Korean
people united in a “can-do” spirit and, building new capabilities through
education, have exerted painstaking efforts to achieve economic and industrial
development. Another catalyst for Korea’s success was foreign assistance
amounting to USD 12 billion over a period of 50 years since the liberation of the
country. Timely support from the UN and other members of the international
community also helped Korea to overcome some of the most challenging times in
its history, namely, the Korean War and the the subsequent stage of rebuilding.
Essentially, it was the strong will of the Korean people to build a better future that
was the driving force behind Korea’s achievements.
Floods in Pakistan (2011)
War in Afghanistan (2001-Present)
Sending a Message of Hope
To Our Friends in Need around the World
There are still a number of places in the world where hope seems to have gone. For
people living through famine, natural disasters, war and terror, hope may seem far
out of reach. Reckless development and the consequential environmental damage
along with natural disasters caused by climate change now pose grave threats to the
whole of humankind.
In today’s closely connected world, problems on the other side of the planet may
escalate into a global crisis without warning. We need to pool our collective
wisdom to make a better world for all.
Sharing
a Story
of Hope
In return for the generosity it has received,
Korea stands prepared to share its
development experience with those
countries that are in need of a message
of hope. Korea will continue to make
substantial contributions to the global
efforts for sustainable development
and peace by playing an even greater
role in the provision of both material
and personnel assistance.
A Recipient-Turned-Donor Country
Sharing Its Development Experience
Korea's accession to the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in
2010 serves as a clear demonstration of its transformation from a poor war-torn
recipient to a donor country.
In recent years, Korea has been
increasing the volume of Official
Development Assistance (ODA) to
meet the committed target of 0.25% of
its Gross National Income by 2015.
■ Korea’s ODA Expansion Plan
ODA/GNI(%)
0.25%
0.15%
Korea has also set out its vision, goals
and objectives, and modalities for ODA
0.1%
in various policy documents including
the "Framework Act on International
Development Cooperation", "Strategic
2009
2012
2015 Year
Plan for International Development
Cooperation", and "Sectoral Basic
Plan" of 2010. They defined three primary strategic areas for improvement for the
better management of ODA: developing a workable model for knowledge sharing,
reforming ODA delivery, and consolidating global development leadership.
Development
Toward a Better World for All
As a recipient-turned-donor country, Korea has committed itself to the fostering
of substantial partnerships with developing countries, sharing its successes
and failures in the process of development in the past decades.
Development
2010 G20 Seoul Summit (November 2010)
Bringing Developing and Developed
Countries Closer
In Building a Better World Together
Korea believes that in today’s globally interconnected world international
development means a great deal more than economic assistance. It helps to
address pressing global challenges facing both developing and developed
countries, while creating a level playing field for the marginalized, vulnerable,
poor parts of the world population.
Out of its unique development experience, Korea has assumed a bridging
role between developing and developed countries in efforts to strengthen
global governance systems including norms and regulations.
Against this backdrop, Korea played a catalytic role in the adoption of the "Seoul
Development Consensus for Shared Growth" and "Multi-Year Action Plan on
Development" at the G20 Seoul Summit in 2010. The first-ever consensus on
development reached by the G20 leaders commits the member countries to the
strong, sustainable, and inclusive growth of developing countries.
4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness
Building a New Global Partnership for Effective Aid and
Development
Korea will host the Fourth High Level
Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4), the
world's premier forum on development
cooperation, at BEXCO, in Busan from
29 November to 1 December 2011.
Only four years away from the target date for achieving the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, the Forum will serve as a platform to
reaffirm the international community's will for their timely achievement. It
further aims to forge a new Global Development Partnership with a view to
advancing the agenda of aid effectiveness to enhance development
effectiveness, involving all important stake-holders in the development field.
J. Brian Atwood, DAC Chair
Korea itself is a role-model for the world,
becoming one of the most advanced democratic
societies in the span of little more than a generation.
Korea can play a unique role in building a bridge to
emerging nations and their stronger engagement in
the development partnership.
Healthcare, Peru (2011)
Development
Korea's ODA in Action
Information and Communication
Technologies, Rwanda (2010)
Education, Bangladesh (2010)
Disbursing Grant Aid through KOICA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is coordinating the disbursement of
grant aid through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), an
implementing arm of Korea's ODA. KOICA delivers its aid through various
channels such as projects, technical cooperation, and volunteer programs in the
following core program areas: healthcare, education, governance, information and
communication technologies (ICTs), rural development, industry and energy,
infrastructure, and environment. Last year, Korea's grant aid totaled USD 454
million, a significant increase of 62.2% from the previous year.
World Friends Korea: Korean Volunteer Program
Rural Development, Democratic Republic of
Congo (2011)
Industry and Energy, Mongolia (2010)
In 2009, Korea brought together separate governmentsponsored overseas volunteer programs under the unified
umbrella of "World Friends Korea (WFK)." The world-wide
dispatch of more than twenty-thousand (20,000) Korean
volunteers by 2013 is envisaged within the WFK framework.
Development
Providing Humanitarian
Assistance
Together with the international community, Korea
has helped crisis-affected countries across the
globe. The "Overseas Emergency Relief Act (2007)"
and "Government-wide Plan to Strengthen
Overseas Emergency Relief (2010)" laid the legal
and policy foundations for facilitating emergency
responses.
Rescue Operations during Japan’s Great Earthquake (March 2011)
Humanitarian Assistance through the UN World Food
Programme (WFP)
Assisting People in Conflict or Fragile Situations
Development Cooperation in Africa
In partnership with the international community, Korea has helped people in conflict
or fragile situations in their efforts to reconstruct. Among others, Afghanistan, Iraq,
and the Palestinian territories were the major destinations of grant aid dedicated for
this purpose. For instance, the Korean Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the
Afghan province of Parwan is currently providing medical services and vocational
training for those in need as well as training the local police.
In the hope of contributing to the development of Africa as well as the achievement
of the MDGs, Korea has been increasing the volume of its official development
assistance to Africa. Based on the “Framework for Korea-Africa Development
Cooperation 2009-2012” issued during the Second Korea-Africa Forum in 2009,
Korea plans to increase its Africa-bound ODA to approximately USD 200 million
and to invite 5,000 trainees and dispatch 1,000 WFK volunteers by 2012.
The Korean PRT in Parwan, Afghanistan
Volunteer Work by President Lee Myung-bak in Ethiopia (July 2011)
Danbi Unit in Haiti
Dongmyeong Unit in Lebanon
Peace and Security
Toward a Safer and More Stable World
Contributing to Peace Keeping Activities
As a Responsible Member of the Global
Community
■ Korea’s Participation in UN PKO
Western Sahara
(MINURSO)
* 640 Korean military and police officers
dispatched to 10 PKO missions as of 2011
Lebanon
(UNIFIL)
Haiti
(MINUSTAH)
Sudan/Darfur
(UNAMID)
Korea has participated in 19 UN Peace Keeping Operations (PKO) since it first
dispatched an engineering unit to the Somali mission (UNOSOMⅡ) in 1993. As of
2011, a total of 640 Korean military and police officers have been deployed to 10
different PKO missions including the Dongmyeong (“Light from the East”) unit to
Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Danbi (“Welcome Rain”) unit to Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Korea enacted the “Act on Participation in UN PKO” in 2010, paving the way for a
more prompt and efficient dispatch of its peacekeeping forces.
Sudan
(UNISFA)
South Sudan
(UNMISS)
Liberia
(UNMIL)
Cote d’Ivoire
(UNOCI)
India, Pakistan
(UNMOGIP)
East Timor
(UNMIT)
Peace and Security
Strengthening the
International Disarmament
and Non-Proliferation Regime
As part of its contributions to the global efforts to prevent the
proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and
their delivery systems, Korea joined the Proliferation
Security Initiative (PSI) in May 2009. Moreover, Korea
became a member of the PSI Operational Experts Group
(OEG) in November 2010 as part of the efforts to assume a
leading role in reinforcing global non-proliferation activities.
Korea also hosted the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism (GICNT) Plenary Meeting in Daejeon, Korea, in
June 2011. The meeting, attended by participants from
more than 60 countries, provided an excellent opportunity
to exchange information and to discuss means to
strengthen national measures to combat the threat of
nuclear terrorism.
2011 GICNT Plenary Meeting (June 2011)
2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit
Joining Global Counter-Terrorism Cooperation
Working Towards a World Free of Nuclear and Radioactive
Terrorism
Korea firmly upholds the position that
terrorism cannot be tolerated or justified
under any circumstances and that no
compromise will ever be made with
terrorist groups. In this context, Korea
is striving to strengthen its counterterrorism capacity at the domestic level
while actively participating in the joint
efforts with the UN and other international
organizations.
Sous-Sherpa Meeting of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit (June 2011)
The 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, where leaders of some 50 countries
and international organizations will gather and reaffirm their commitment to
work towards the shared objective of reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism,
will take place in Seoul, Korea, on March 26-27, 2012.
Korea has been exemplary in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy even in the
face of a serious nuclear threat from North Korea. The Seoul Summit will
serve as an important opportunity to present solid practical measures to
strengthen nuclear security while fostering greater international confidence in
nuclear energy. The Korean Government will spare no effort to ensure its
success.
Counter-Terrorism Training (2011)
Leading Global Efforts to Combat Piracy
As the world’s sixth-largest maritime
economic power and one of the major
victims of piracy, Korea is actively
participating in the global fight against
Somali pirates through the deployment
of a warship to waters off the coast of
Somalia. Korea also promotes the adoption
of self-protection measures by commercial
vessels to ensure maritime security,
and renders support to Somalia and its
neighboring countries for anti-piracy
capacity building.
Korean Destroyer Choi Young Patrolling
the Gulf of Aden (2011)
Green Growth
Toward a Sustainable and Balanced Growth
The Launch of the Korean-Danish Green Growth Alliance (May 2011)
Addressing Climate Change
By Embracing “Low Carbon, Green Growth”
Korea has engaged actively in the global efforts to tackle climate change since
it declared “Low Carbon, Green Growth” in August 2008 as a new national paradigm
to address climate change while stimulating economic development.
Although not an Annex I country under the Kyoto Protocol, in November 2009
Korea announced its plan to voluntarily reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
by 30% below Business-As-Usual (BAU) levels by 2020. In its efforts to bridge the
gap between developed and developing countries in their discussions on GHG
emissions reduction, Korea proposed the establishment of the Nationally
Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) Registry to encourage developing
countries to take voluntary mitigation actions.
Korea is strengthening cooperation on green growth not only at the multilateral
level such as through the UN and G20, but also at the bilateral level. In May 2011,
Korea forged an unprecedented Green Growth Alliance with Denmark, pledging
to contribute to the international community through their “alliance of values.”
Green Growth
Global Green Growth Summit 2011 (June 2011)
East Asia Climate Partnership (EACP)
Expanding “Green ODAs” to Promote
Green Growth in Developing Countries
Over a period of five years, beginning in 2008, Korea
has committed to provide USD 200 million to
developing countries in Asia to help them address
climate change issues and achieve
sustainable development. In line with this
commitment, Korea is currently pursuing
grant aid projects in the five areas of
clean energy, water management,
forestation, waste management, and
high efficiency power generation.
Taking Humanity to the Next Level through
Green Technology
Recognizing that green technologies are integral to its transition to a “Low Carbon,
Green Growth” economy, Korea announced the launch of the Global Green Growth
Institute (GGGI) during the East Asia Climate Forum in June 2010. Furthermore,
Korea announced the establishment of the Green Technology Center as well as the
introduction of the Global Green Technology Award during the Global Green Growth
Summit (GGGS) in June 2011.
Training Program on Green Growth for Developing Countries in Asia (February 2011)
Construction Site of
a Photovoltaic Power Plant,
the First Project of the EACP, in Sri Lanka (April 2011)
Toward a Better World
The magnitude of the problems that the world faces today may
seem insurmountable to any individual state. Yet, the combined
efforts of the global community can make a difference and bring
prosperity to all.
It requires our combined efforts to create a better world for all,
where developed and developing countries sustain a balanced
growth, where peace and security are maintained, and where the
Earth and humankind live and thrive in harmony. Our actions
today will pave the way for a brighter tomorrow.
The Republic of Korea is committed to making proactive
contributions to the world, taking the lead in creating a better
future for all humankind.
Toward a Better Future
H.E. Kim Sung-Hwan
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Republic of Korea, based on its
unique development experience, has been
fully involved in international efforts to
address various global challenges such
as poverty, war, and climate change. The
Korean Government will continue to
make contributions to the international
community, sharing hope with other
countries for a better future.
October 2011