한국의 지역별 개발협력 추진전략: 아시아 지역 ODA 지원 방안(Korea’s Regional Cooperation and ODA Policy in Asia: Performance and Challenges)

아시아 지역은 1990년대 이후 안정적인 성장국면에 진입하면서 중국은 물론 동남아시아, 남아시아의 주요국들이 신흥시장으로 큰 주목을 받아왔다. 그러나 최근 코로나19 확산으로 위기상황이 지속되면서 아시아 지역 대부분의 개도국에서 구조적 취약성이 심화되었으며, 감염병 확산을 막기 위한 봉쇄조치로 인해 경제성장이 둔화됨에 따라 사회경제적 불평등도 확대되고 있는 실정이다. The Asian region has drawn great attention as an emerging market with relatively stable growth since the 1990s. The COVID-19 pandemic crisis, however, has revealed its structural vulnerability, intensifying socio-economic inequality in the region. Economic activities have shrunk due to the lockdown measures, resulting in stagnation and widening the income gap. Uncertainties have also increased in the environment for development cooperation in the region, which calls for a new approach for effective implementation of official development assistance (ODA).This study aims at deriving Korea’s mid-term ODA strategies towards the Asian region by analyzing changes in the development context and conditions for cooperation in the region since the pandemic, as well as progress in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the development gap. As economic interdependencies with Asian countries have intensified, Korea’s ODA has given the highest priority to the region: fifty to sixty percent of its ODA has been directed to Asia and sixteen out of twenty-four priority partner countries are in the region. The Korean government has also pursued diplomatic diversification focused on strengthening partnerships with Asian emerging markets, particularly under the New Southern and Northern Policy. Establishing an effective ODA strategy in the post-COVID-19 erarequires not only country-specific assistance plans but also a regional approach which incorporates the diverse development needs, so as to improve policy coherence as well as developmenteffectiveness. As the demands from developing countries willing to share Korea’s experiences and know-how in response to COVID-19 have increased, the role of Korea’s ODA has gained itsimportance particularly in the health sector. The uncertaintiesfurther increased by the recent spread of the omicron variant, however, make more difficult the implementation of ODA projectsin addition to normal economic activities. While the Korean government continues to support the Asian region as a priority, the overall strategy lacks integrated regional approach as Korea’s ODA has been based on individual country strategies—Country Partnership Strategies (CPS). (the rest omitted)