Since joining the DAC in 2010, Korea has made a great deal of effort to enhance its role in international development cooperation. This paper reviews the evolution of Korea’s ODA policy by discussing how the Korea’s development experience as a recipient and its accession to the DAC have inextricably shaped the ODA policy and strategies. It shows that the different interest and motivation of the Ministry of Strategies and Finance and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been strongly reflected in Korea’s ODA policy. The Korean government has committed to bridge developed and developing countries by proposing “the Korean ODA model”. This paper argues that integration of DAC principles and norms into the Korean ODA model remains a challenge.

Korea, ODA policy, aid allocation, International Development Cooperation, DAC, Donor, Recipient