Korea Stingy in Helping World’s Poor

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

South Korea is the world's stingiest rich nation in helping developing countries as it erects high trade barriers and offers the least amount of foreign aid, according to the 2009 Commitment to Development Index (CDI), Thursday.

The index, released by the Washington-based Center for Global Development (CGD), annually ranks 22 wealthy economies based on how their aid, trade, investment, migration, environment, security and technology policies benefit poor nations.

This is the second consecutive year Asia's fourth-largest economy finished last, pointing to the country's need to increase participation in overseas aids programs. Korea seeks to join the aid committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) next year.

The entry into the Development Assistance Committee means that Korea would increase international assistance in keeping with its economic power.

According to the OECD, Korea committed just 0.09 percent of its gross national income (GNI) to development assistance in 2007, which falls far below the United Nations-recommended 0.7 percent.

This year's CGD report showed that small European nations did most for the world's poor, with Sweden ranking first, Denmark second and Norway tying for third with the Netherlands. The G7 major industrialized countries comparatively fared lower, with none in the top 10.

The United States took 17th place, while Japan came in second to last at 21st, the report said.

"In an increasingly integrated world, rich countries cannot insulate themselves from global poverty and insecurity," CGD President Nancy Birdsall said in a statement.

Korea's overall score improved slightly this year. But the country ranked in the bottom five in seven index categories ― scoring well only in technology, where it was ranked second, and investment, where it finished eighth.

It turned out to be the weakest in the areas of migration, aid, trade, security and environment.

"The country has a very small foreign aid program, the highest barriers to developing-country exports ― notably, rice ― and a low number of unskilled immigrants entering from developing countries as a share of its population," said David Roodman, a CGD research fellow and the architect of the index.

The report also indicated that Korea ranked last in environment because of its high imports of tropical wood and its high per-capita use of chemicals that deplete the ozone layer.

Source: The Korea Times

Comments

[kimchikimi.livejournal.com]

idk why ,but im not surprised.:|

[spidersky.livejournal.com]

Not all that surprising (unfortunately). :/

[czarny.livejournal.com]

Well you know the UK doesn't do all that much either.

And yeah I don't think Korea has an effective immigration policy, like Japan.

[jia-zhang.livejournal.com]

The whole of Asia doesn't really DO the immigration thing, because they aren't really immigrant nations and don't have that history. Which is a pity, I think.

[blooberrie.livejournal.com]

damn that's depressing. but go Sweden.

[visual-jaeho.livejournal.com]

Not surprised :\

[froggster.livejournal.com]

I'm kinda not surprised :/ which makes it even more sad.
but way to go Netherlands. makes me <3 my country more :3

[unreal.livejournal.com]

Same for me.

[czarny.livejournal.com]

But large European nations don't do as much. :( Not as if they're short of money...

[jia-zhang.livejournal.com]

...well this makes a lot of sense, considering countries like Sweden, Denmark, Norway and company are socio-democracies versus the capitalist-democracies, so it makes sense they also provide more aid.

[rawthorne.livejournal.com]

The UK is a socio-democracy as well, if you count it being run by Brown's Labor party...

[dipropylene]

lol Sweden beats us at everything.

[czarny.livejournal.com]

Pfft Sweden pwns the world, and acts modest about it. Lol.

[every-journal.livejournal.com]

woohoo! Dutchies being third! I love my country

I was also surprised about the USA being 17th... Bad bad Obama... need to raise that! And also none of the G7 in the top 10... they really should invest more in helping developing countries.

[honeebs.livejournal.com]

Not Obama's fault, he had/has a lot to clean up....point made.

[filmsession.livejournal.com]

i hope there will soon be a happy article on korea :|

[czarny.livejournal.com]

There are plenty lol, just not on Omona! Someone could have posted about the trade deals between the EU and South Korea or the level of investment Korea is putting into African nations but no we'd rather make them look like a backwards conservative Eastern nation run by right wing misogynists.

[beauty0fparting.livejournal.com]

I remembered when I first got into the fandom, I wanted to live in Korea so badly. After two years, I think a visit would do just fine. Dramas, Movies, KPop, & News told me it's quite a scary place.

[jyusou.livejournal.com]

I remembered when I first got into the fandom, I wanted to live in Korea so badly.
It has happened to us all u__u. Same with me, except I used to be all like "woah JAPAN!" and now I'm like "dude screw it, my home country's the best >P"

[unreal.livejournal.com]

Yay for The Netherlands being third. Now if only whe can kick out Wilders then it would be better :p

[froggster.livejournal.com]

this.

besides him being a racist pig, that hair is just ridiculous, I want him outta my face :(

[girlknees.livejournal.com]

...norway, i am very very disappointed in you.
beaten by denmark and sweden? honestly.
we better have moved up in next year's ranking...

[rawthorne.livejournal.com]

Protectionism is normal of any developed state in its early days.

I find the low scoring in terms of environmental protection more worrying, considering Korea has the means to reduce pollution.

[bgurl1210.livejournal.com]

For some reason I'm not surprised by this.

[booksandsarcasm.livejournal.com]

I feel kind of bad in saying so and I'm not exactly sure why I feel this way... but somehow I'm not surprised at all.

[finalfantasyo13.livejournal.com]

no surprise there.

[kaiweasley.livejournal.com]

What?! How could this be??


Just kidding.

[dominique-franc.livejournal.com]

:/ not surprising like everyone says

get it Denmark
I used to tell people I would move there if John McCain became president because it was considered the happiest place/country on earth

[evil-zucchini.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this sounds about right. And obviously my country won't be on there because we're part of the world poor XDD

[italic.livejournal.com]

not surprising at all.

[onerainysunday.livejournal.com]

not surprised at ALL

[daisukizutto.livejournal.com]

Like everyone else, not surprised one bit. :/

[allisnotlost.livejournal.com]

i thought korea gave awards to people who are frugal? i remember awhile back seeing an article where rain got an award for something? like giving money to the needy or something? or saving and not spending all his millions? i dont recall, but i know that it also depends on cultural reasons to either frown on or give the thumbs up on frugality.