S. Korea to send 20,000 volunteer workers abroad until 2013

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to send 20,000 volunteer workers to
developing nations over the next five years, the country's foreign minister said
Friday.
Yu Myung-hwan added that Seoul will continue to expand the size of its official
development assistance (ODA).
"The government has a plan to dispatch a total of 20,000 volunteer workers abroad
-- including 5,000 members of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)
-- over the five years from next year," Yu said in an awards ceremony for 35
volunteer workers selected in recognition of their dedicated service.
More than 1,700 South Koreans, mostly affiliated with the KOICA, are working in
relatively poor countries.
"The government will make its utmost efforts to help fight poverty in those
developing nations, despite the current financial crisis," the minister said.
"South Korea will make efforts for its aid to be in harmony with the
international community by pushing for entry into the OECD's Development
Assistance Committee in 2010."
South Korea's ODA to underdeveloped nations rose 48 percent in 2007 from a year
earlier to US$672 million. The figure accounts for 0.07 percent of its gross
national income.
It aims to increase the ratio to 0.15 percent by 2012 and 0.25 percent by 2015.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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