Presentation Information
[1J11]From Accession to Adaptation: Korea’s Development Cooperation Strategies in a Changing Global Context
*Woochul Kang1 (1. Korea Eximbank)
Keywords:
Korea,ODA,Policy Chage,Basic Plan for International Development Cooperation,Emerging Donor
Since its accession to the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in 2010, Korea has sought to reshape its development cooperation policies in response to both domestic constraints and evolving global demands. This presentation analyzes Korea’s policy trajectory over the past fifteen years by examining the Basic Plans for International Development Cooperation, which have been published every five years since DAC accession. Each plan reflects shifting emphases—ranging from the incorporation of global norms and the refinement of domestic implementation systems to evolving aid visions that balance national and international interests.
While these periodic adjustments demonstrate Korea’s efforts to adapt to international expectations and to consolidate its identity as an emerging donor, challenges of policy coherence, strategic prioritization, and institutional coordination remain persistent. By tracing the evolution of priorities across successive Basic Plans, the study highlights how Korea’s development cooperation has been reshaped at the intersection of global norms and domestic political economy.
The findings carry broader implications. First, they suggest how long-established donors such as Japan have indirectly influenced Korea’s institutional and policy design, even without explicit policy convergence. Second, Korea’s experience offers valuable lessons for emerging donors that may follow a similar path toward DAC membership, as they confront the need to balance international responsibilities with domestic limitations.
In doing so, the presentation contributes to a deeper understanding of how development cooperation policies evolve after DAC accession and what this evolution implies for the future architecture of global development cooperation, particularly in East Asia.
While these periodic adjustments demonstrate Korea’s efforts to adapt to international expectations and to consolidate its identity as an emerging donor, challenges of policy coherence, strategic prioritization, and institutional coordination remain persistent. By tracing the evolution of priorities across successive Basic Plans, the study highlights how Korea’s development cooperation has been reshaped at the intersection of global norms and domestic political economy.
The findings carry broader implications. First, they suggest how long-established donors such as Japan have indirectly influenced Korea’s institutional and policy design, even without explicit policy convergence. Second, Korea’s experience offers valuable lessons for emerging donors that may follow a similar path toward DAC membership, as they confront the need to balance international responsibilities with domestic limitations.
In doing so, the presentation contributes to a deeper understanding of how development cooperation policies evolve after DAC accession and what this evolution implies for the future architecture of global development cooperation, particularly in East Asia.
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