 |
| ▲ Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina (2nd from L) speaks during an interagency meeting on official development assistance strategies on Jan. 21, 2026, in this file photo provided by the foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
S Korea-development aid
S. Korea seeks aid reform to boost efficiency, Global South ties
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is moving to overhaul its official development assistance (ODA) program by setting clearer country-specific strategies and consolidating projects spread across government agencies, officials said Wednesday.
The move follows the government's finding that fragmented projects and unclear division of responsibility among agencies have undermined the efficiency of its foreign aid program, which includes grants, concessional loans and humanitarian assistance.
The reform plan calls for establishing broader strategic objectives by sector, such as artificial intelligence, digital transition, climate change, energy, agriculture and health care, with an aim to provide more tailored projects that would bring tangible benefits to recipient countries, officials said.
The plan also calls for drastically reducing repetitive aid projects currently scattered across agencies and streamlining their implementation under a single platform led by the Korea International Cooperation Agency.
Following peer reviews by the Development Assistance Committee, an international body responsible for setting international ODA standards, the government concluded that the ODA program covers too wide a range of areas on relatively small scales with limited long-term strategies.
As of end-2025, the country had more than 1,600 aid projects across about 20 different sectors, with 41 ministries and agencies involved. The average budget for each project had hovered at 2.25 billion won (US$1.55 million), according to government data.
Many of the projects were found to lack strategic priorities and practical operations to promote sustainable improvements, as they were implemented based on desk-based decisions rather than empirical data.
Cases include an e-government package for Indonesia, which was stalled after one of the overlapping projects was canceled. An agricultural development project in Ethiopia ran into delays as the agencies involved failed to reconcile differences in scope and timing.
Under the reform plan, ODA will be carried out under a broad strategic vision of "sustainable and innovative investments for future generations," focusing on enhancing youth capabilities in digital technologies, strengthening health care resilience and boosting climate change adaptation and energy access.
The plan also includes fostering safe and sustainable local farming communities to help strengthen the income base of young people.
Recipient countries will be able to select projects in line with their needs and ODA programs will be implemented based on on-site assessments.
The government also plans to reduce ODA projects to 800 by 2030, compared with 1,600 in 2026.
The envisioned reform is expected to help partner countries better address development challenges by leveraging South Korea's strengths in key strategic areas. It would also promote diplomatic ties with developing nations, particularly in the Global South, officials said.
The plan is expected to be finalized by the international development cooperation commission under the prime minister's office.
South Korea's ODA budget for 2026 has been set at 2.84 trillion won, down 22.9 percent from a year earlier.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
