Characteristics of Korean ODA Allocation by Sector and Type

Abstract

Korea has been receiving growing attention from the international society since its development has been recognized as the most successful case in history, and it has been expected to deliver its development experiences to developing countries through development cooperation. However, while there are many studies on Korea’s development experience, there are not many studies on the features of Korean official development assistance (ODA) and how to reflect Korea’s experiences in its aid programs. Thus, Korea’s development cooperation system should be studied to identify effective ways to deliver Korea’s development know-how to developing countries. As the first step to study Korean ODA and its relationship with Korea’s development experience, this paper will focus on the special characteristics of Korean ODA’s allocation by sector and type which differs from other OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donors. Furthermore, should we consider the special features of Korea’s aid programs as an immature quality that should be improved in the future, or should it be considered as an alternative that can complement the weakness of other donors’ aid? This paper will attempt to answer these questions by analyzing the sector and type allocation of Korean ODA in comparison to other DAC donors.