Prof. Jacqueline Aquino Siapno
of Seoul National University |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
In the wake of Korea joining a club of donors, the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), policymakers are faced with a major challenge.
Korea could fall into the trap of becoming a self-serving giver, if no proper aid strategy is made.
Inside the government, there are broadly two schools of thought proposing different policy responses to the challenge.
Liberals said a benign donor should make sincere efforts to end poverty in the less developed world, while not being distracted by other self-serving purposes such as linking international commitments to economic gains.
Career diplomats, who fall into this line of belief, feel that ending poverty in the Third World is the primary goal of international aid.
They argue that Korea should increase grants, rather than loans that have to be repaid in the future.
These people said Korea has achieved its current position thanks to international aid, and that now it was its turn to give back to the international community.
Meanwhile, another group of thinkers ― pragmatists ― believe that the nation's commitment to the less developed world is insurance for its future.
Officials at the Ministry of Finance and Strategy overseeing loan programs are the pragmatists.
They argue that giving aid to poor neighbors won't solve poverty and that instead Korea should teach them how to provide for themselves.
These pragmatists have called on the government to increase loan programs and technical assistance for the underdeveloped world, instead of grants.
Prof. Jacqueline Aquino Siapno of the Graduate School of International Studies at Seoul National University, recommended a third way, which she calls ``cosmopolitan virtue,'' as a guiding light to Korea's aid strategy.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday, Siapno, interim first lady of East Timor, defined cosmopolitan virtue as a sincerity-based attitude focusing on efforts to respect other cultures and people in the same way that ``we love ourselves, families and our countries.''
``There is a big difference between globalization and cosmopolitanism. Cosmopolitan virtue is that your love for yourself and family should be extended to the same love for other people, other communities and nations,'' she said.
``If you love other people in the same way that you love yourself, you are not racist or discriminatory or sexist.''
Siapno's advice came a day after Korea became the first nation to transform into a donor from a recipient by joining DAC.
The motto ``Global Korea'' became political buzzwords last year after President Lee Myung-bak vowed to increase aid and give technical assistance to underdeveloped nations.
The government has planned to dispatch troops to Afghanistan next year to help rebuild the war-torn nation, but first needs majority support from the National Assembly.
There are critics inside parliament, mostly opposition lawmakers, who are concerned about the safety of those soldiers.
Opponents are also concerned about collateral damage such as Koreans becoming terrorist targets after joining the U.S.-led reconstruction efforts.
Despite the worries, chances of the motion passing are high, given that the conservative ruling Grand National Party controls a comfortable majority.
Siapno noted that policymakers should keep in mind the values of ``mutual respect and equality'' when lending a helping hand to those who are in need such as people in Southeast Asia.
She made the remark after being asked if she shared the belief that international aid could be used as an instrument to help a donor nation achieve a diplomatic goal such as energy diplomacy.
``While Southeast Asia is rich in oil, gas, natural resources and energy, there are also human beings there,'' she said.
The scholar stressed the importance of human-to-human exchange, saying that social relations are more important than economic ties.
Siapno warned of the danger of a strategy that has no substance, sharing the story of her Filipino friend, who came to Korea to attend college.
``He felt that there was a big gap between what he saw in Korean films and everyday reality he faced here,'' she said.
She pointed out that ``an inward-looking attitude'' still remains in Korea, despite the nations' efforts for globalization, adding that this will not be a plus factor for the country as a donor.
hkang@koreatimes.co.kr
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