S. Korea to send delegation aiming to join OECD aid committee

SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will send a delegation to Paris this week
to make its case to join an aid committee of the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), officials here said Monday.
The delegation will attend a Wednesday meeting, where participants will discuss
Seoul's bid to join the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), according to the
Ministry of Strategy and Finance. The committee was established to provide a
platform for OECD member countries to discuss how to bolster support for
developing countries.
South Korea has been seeking to join the committee, comprised of 23 countries
including the European Commission, in an effort to expand its role in the global
community. If the request is accepted, it will become an official DAC member
starting on Jan. 1 next year, the ministry said.
The Seoul delegation consists of officials from the finance ministry, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the state-run Export and Import Bank of
Korea and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, the ministry said.
South Korea, once a recipient of U.N. handouts after the 1950-53 Korean War, has
been providing official development assistance (ODA) since the late 1980s. Its
entry into the DAC will enable one of Asia's largest economies to play a more
active role in international efforts to help countries in need, experts say.
Seoul's ODA to developing nations amounted to US$800 million in 2008, the 19th
largest among OECD member countries. The amount is expected to increase to over
$900 million this year, the ministry said in a separate statement.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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