Research on Establishing Korean ODA Model
The Republic of Korea became the first country after WWII to have transformed itself from a recipient to a donor country when it joined the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in 2010. Korean ODA reached 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2011, 0.12% of the nation’s GNI. Although the contribution level is still lower than international standards, it has expanded rapidly and is expected to keep growing. Intense debates arose in Korea regarding the possibility of establishing a Korean ODA model in response to the rising ODA contribution. Accordingly, this research was undertaken in order to establish a comprehensive ODA strategy by focusing on priority areas where Korea has comparative advantages.

Formulation of ODA Content and Strategies Based on Korea's Comparative Advantages
This research consists of aggregated and articulated ODA content that lie within Korea's development experience and relative competitiveness. The research was conducted under the supervision of the Korean ODA Model Task Force of the Prime Minister's Office. It was directed and managed by Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET), with co-assistance from Korea Development Institute (KDI) and Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP). A number of experts from 18 organizations, including government-sponsored research institutes under the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences (NRC) and other organizations such as Seoul National University and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) participated in this research project. The research covered 11 sectors categorized under the four areas of economic development, social development, governance, and future issues. Based on a mid-range package of programs extracted by expert groups in each sector, the Prime Minister’s Office and the three managerial research institutes (KIET, KDI, and KIEP) formulated  a program pool of 159 programs for the Korean ODA model. Among these programs, 40 basic programs were selected, which will be given priorities under the limitations of delivery capacities for all the programs in the pool. Then, KIET, KDI, and KIEP worked together to conduct research on the implementation strategy of the Korean ODA model. The final results of the research are divided into four volumes. Volume one comprises a general introduction and a summary of research findings by the three managerial research institutes. The three other volumes consist of research findings from 18 institutes. Based on these findings, the Committee for International Development Cooperation (CIDC), which is the supreme policy-making apparatus of the Korean government chaired by the Prime Minister, officially adopted the Korean ODA Model in its 13th meeting on September 14, 2012. This research marks its significance by establishing the first comprehensive Korean ODA model, which had previously been lacking substantial content despite continued debates. However, this research does not represent the final form of the Korean ODA model; the model should be continuously enhanced through vigorous modification, supplementation and expansion reflecting the development of Korean ODA itself and the changing environment of international society. Finally, the ODA-implementing agencies, including KOICA and EDCF, should bear in mind that each project implementation should be tailored to the particular circumstances of the recipient country and their development needs. Also, it should be noted that results-based management and consistent monitoring of a project is important for improving the effectiveness of ODA. * This research has been co-directed and managed by Dr. Dong-Joo Joo of KIET (djjoo@kiet.re.kr), Dr. Moon-Jung Tcha of KDI (mtcha@kdi.re.kr), and Dr. Yul Kwon of KIEP (ykwon@kiep.go.kr).