Ewha Womans UniversityInstitute for Development and Human Security

South Korea is a model case among countries that have transitioned from receiving to providing official development assistance (ODA). From 1945 to 1995, South Korea received approximately $12 billion in ODA, successfully eradicating poverty and achieving economic development and democratization. As a result, South Korea became the only country to transition from being an extremely impoverished country to a developed country since the founding of the UN in 1945.

In 1987, South Korea established the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to manage concessional loans for ODA. In 1991, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) was established to handle non-repayable aid. By 1995, South Korea had graduated from being an ODA recipient country. In 2010, South Korea became the 24th member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and hosted the G20 summit, demonstrating its significant global role as an emerging donor country.

In alignment with these developments, the International Development Cooperation Research Institute aims to lead research and training in development cooperation. To enhance understanding and advancement in this field, the institute has conducted various studies and initiatives, including "Strategy to Improve Public Awareness of Korea's ODA" by KOICA, "Direction of Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA)," "Analysis of Major Issues in OECD DAC Development Cooperation and Strategies for Korea's International Development Cooperation," and "International Development Cooperation Awareness Promotion Projects."

The institute has also hosted international development cooperation fairs. Through initiatives such as the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's "Gender Impact Assessment of Korea's ODA Projects", "Research for Formulating a Long-Term Plan for Women in ODA", and KOICA's "Women's Leadership Capacity Building Program (19-21)", the institute has contributed to raising the awareness of the role of women as both agents and targets in development cooperation.

Additionally, the institute has supported the training of development cooperation professionals through projects like KOICA's "Online Course Development: ‘Cross-Sectoral and Development Cooperation'" and the "International Development Cooperation Theme Research and Training for Strengthening the Capabilities of the Korea International Health Foundation". These efforts have contributed to nurturing talent in South Korea’s development cooperation field.