Top global development groups in Seoul: A primer

South Korea is an emerging development aid donor, and its international development industry is rapidly expanding. One reason: At the end of 2009, South Korea joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee, which requires each member state to spend 0.7 percent of its gross national income on official development assistance by 2015. The following year, South Korea’s aid budget increased nearly 25 percent; further increases are expected. Two government institutions – the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the Economic Development Cooperation Fund – provide most of South Korea’s ODA, often to domestic conglomerates and corporations such as Samsung. But a variety of non-governmental organizations are also bidding – and winning – procurements, and expanding overseas operations. Most of these organizations are located in Seoul’s metropolitan area – including the Korea NGO Council for Overseas Cooperation, which counts many of South Korea’s largest global development NGOs as members. Here’s a look at some of the top aid organizations in the South Korean capital. For job opportunities, check the Devex jobs board. Center for International Development at KDI Type: Think tankFounded: 2010Executive director: Tcha Moon-joong CID is part of the Korea Development Institute, the country’s oldest and premier economic and social science think tank. It aims to share South Korea’s development experience and knowledge with the nation’s developing country partners. CID@KDI conducts research for economic cooperation with developing and other countries requesting support, as well as on North Korea’s economic status and inter-Korean economic cooperation and integration. It also provides policy training programs to government officials from developing countries. ChildFund Korea Type: International non-governmental organizationFounded: 1948President and CEO: Lee Je-hoon ChildFund Korea helps provide education, water, sanitation and AIDS prevention programs to countries such as Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Uganda, East Timor, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, China and Bolivia. It also operates domestically and spearheads development projects in North Korea. In 2010, ChildFund Korea had a budget of $100 million. It employs more than 1,200 people, including 181 at headquarters and 23 in global programs. Economic Development Cooperation Fund Type: Government fundFounded: 1987Minister of strategy and finance: Bahk Jae-wan EDCF, part of the Export-Import Bank of Korea, offers mostly long-term concessional financing. So far, it has committed approximately $6.3 billion in loans to fund 251 projects related to transportation, telecommunication, energy, water supply and sanitation, environment protection, health, education, government and civil society, agriculture, and fishing. It has helped 46 countries in the Asia-Pacific region as well as in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe, including China, Yemen and Tunisia. Policies, loans and projects are approved by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, while the Export-Import Bank of Korea negotiates loans and supervises loan and project implementation and evaluation. EDCF has a total staff of 67. Export-Import Bank of Korea Type: Government-owned financing institutionFounded: 1976Chairman and president: Kim Yong-hwan Korea Eximbank provides export loans, trade finance and guarantees to assist Korean enterprises engaging in business abroad. Its other offerings: overseas investment credit, natural resources development credit, import credit and information services related to overseas business opportunities. It manages the EDCF and the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, an economic cooperation initiative targeting North Korea. It committed $61.7 billion in loans and guarantees – disbursing $56.5 billion – in 2010. Good Neighbors International Type: International NGOFounded: 1991President: Yi Il-ha Good Neighbors, one of South Korea’s largest NGOs, works on projects promoting children’s well-being and community development in more than 20 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. It won general consultative status from the U.N. Economic and Social Council in 1996 and the U.N. Millennium Development Goal Award in 2007. It operates an international cooperation office in Geneva and a U.N. liaison office in New York. According to its U.S. branch’s website, Good Neighbors has 2,447 professional staff members and 20,622 volunteers, including doctors, nurses, engineers and professors, working in projects that support 16.8 million people in 29 countries. Human Resources Development Service of Korea Type: State-run agencyFounded: 1982CEO: Song Young-jung HRD Korea is an affiliated agency of the South Korean Ministry of Labor, which works to improve human resources at home and promote HR development expertise overseas. It conducts joint HRD initiatives in developing countries with international organizations such as the U.N. Development Program and UNESCO. As part of the country’s ODA, HRD Korea performs feasibility studies on labor markets and deploys experts in vocational training, qualification testing and other areas to improve national HRD system and policy in ODA-recipient countries. Korea Expert Consulting Group Type: ConsultancyFounded: 2002Representative director: Song Kyung-soon The Korea Expert Consulting Group provides a wide range of expert consulting services to domestic and international clients, including project advice and support to ODA programs. It has rendered economic and financial analysis for Asian Development Bank projects in China and Vietnam. Korea Institute for Development Strategy Type: ConsultancyFounded: 2001President: Chun Seung-hun KDS conducts research and professional consultancy services in various areas of international development, and provides training to public officials of developing countries. It has worked in projects funded by the African Development Bank, KOICA, Korea Eximbank and other Korean government bodies. It constantly seeks experts and researchers who can perform and manage development cooperation projects with multilateral financing institutions and South Korea’s ODA-related agencies. Korea International Cooperation Agency Type: Bilateral donorFounded: 1991President: Park Dae-won KOICA is in charge of South Korea’s bilateral grant aid and technical cooperation programs, which account for 40 percent of the country’s official development assistance. With the aim of helping achieve the Millennium Development Goals, it focuses on projects in the areas of education, health, governance, rural development, information and communication technology, industry and energy, environment, disaster relief and reconstruction, and climate change. The agency is key to South Korea’s aid reform plans, which envision further untying aid, increasing grant funding and working closely with international partners. KOICA has a presence in 28 countries in Africa, Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Latin America and the Middle East. It has approximately 230 staff members. Korea International Volunteer Organization Type: International NGOFounded: 1988President: Ha Sung-soo KVO aims to promote volunteer work supporting human development worldwide. Its main programs in developing countries cover emergency relief, vocational and agricultural training, promotion of economic independence for local communities, gender mainstreaming, and environmental sustainability. It holds special consultative status at ECOSOC, and its latest quadrennial report to the U.N. body indicates that its membership grew to 30,000 in 2009, extending operations to 17 countries. Other notable global development-focused groups in Seoul: - Arup (country office) - Asia Foundation (country office) - Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives (headquarters) - COWI (country office) - Deloitte Anjin (headquarters) - Ernst & Young (country office) - Finpro (country office) - Global Civic Sharing (headquarters) - Global Common Society International (headquarters) - Hyundai Asan (headquarters) - Join Together Society (headquarters) - Korea Expressway Corp. (headquarters) - Korea Food for the Hungry International (headquarters) - Korea HRD Consulting International (headquarters) - Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (headquarters) - Korean National Commission for UNESCO (headquarters) - Kunhwa Consulting + Engineering (headquarters) - LG CNS (headquarters) - Medtronic (country office) - Nexant (country office) - Samsung SDS (headquarters) - Tetra Tech (country office) - World Vision Korea (headquarters) - Save the Children Korea (headquarters) Rolf Rosenkranz and Se Jeong Kim contributed reporting. Did we forget any major aid organization in Seoul? Please let us know by placing your comments below. Also check our lists of top aid groups in other global development hubs such as London, New York, Paris and Washington D.C.