Main issues include ODA alignment, harmonization, accountabilityThe global economy has changed enormously since September 2008, when high-ranking officials from both donor and recipient countries gathered in Accra, Ghana to discuss improving the effectiveness of aid and development cooperation.Recent global crises including food shortages, inflation, the global financial crunch and economic downturns have aggravated the global efforts for development in less-developed countries.The Fourth High-L

The Korea International Cooperation Agency said it would hold an exhibition of photographs and videos from Tuesday to Thursday to showcase the way South Korea has transformed itself from an aid recipient to a donor country.On the lobby in front of the Convention Hall on the third floor of BEXCO in Busan, the exhibition will be open to all participants of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness including government officials from development partners, lawmakers, civic activists and priva

A children’s drawing contest is to give Korean elementary school students the chance to depict their favorite place in Southeast Asia. The “My Friend ASEAN” competition aims to raise awareness of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and to promote global citizenship among the younger generation. The ASEAN-Korea Centre will take entries from Dec. 1-23.Certificates and prizes will be awarded to 70 winners and their artwork will be exhibited at the ASEAN Hall in the Seoul Press Center Buildin

Oman has pledged to introduce its geography, history and culture to the world by taking part in next year’s Yeosu Expo. The Sultanate has set up a ministerial committee to supervise its preparations for the Yeosu 2012 international exposition to run in the South Jeolla Province costal city under the slogan of “Living Oceans and Coasts.”The Omani Sultanate has announced that it will create a 786 square-meter pavilion under the theme of “Care for Marine Wealth” to demonstrate Sultan Qaboos’ desire

By Kirsty Taylor The U.K.’s new ambassador to Seoul expressed “major concern” over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs on his first day in office, but stressed the importance of Britain’s relations with South Korea.“We’re acutely concerned about the role that North Korea plays in proliferation and the way in which it is trying to sell nuclear technology, know-how and equipment to people who are interested in acquiring them,” Scott Wightman said Thursday, a day before presenting his credential

Oman has pledged to introduce its geography, history and culture to the world by taking part in next year’s Yeosu Expo. The Sultanate has set up a ministerial committee to supervise its preparations for the Yeosu 2012 international exposition to run in the South Jeolla Province costal city under the slogan of “Living Oceans and Coasts.”The Omani Sultanate has announced that it will create a 786 square-meter pavilion under the theme of “Care for Marine Wealth” to demonstrate Sultan Qaboos’ desire

A children’s drawing contest is to give Korean elementary school students the chance to depict their favorite place in Southeast Asia. The “My Friend ASEAN” competition aims to raise awareness of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and to promote global citizenship among the younger generation. The ASEAN-Korea Centre will take entries from Dec. 1-23.Certificates and prizes will be awarded to 70 winners and their artwork will be exhibited at the ASEAN Hall in the Seoul Press Center Buildin

The South Korean government is reviewing whether to impose additional sanctions against Iran for its suspicious role in developing a nuclear weapon, a government official said Thursday.The government is carefully considering halting exports and imports of petrochemical products between Iran and Korea at the U.S. request, the official said.“South Korea is already fully implementing sanctions against Iran in line with the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929. But the recent suspicion of Iran’s nu

U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Sung Kim expressed confidence in the resilience of the ties between his country and South Korea, saying he believes the friendship between the U.S. and the country of his birth will survive any challenge.In his second blog post since taking office earlier this month, the Korean-American ambassador said two of his main missions here are to “strengthen and deepen” both the bilateral alliance and people-to-people ties. He is the first Korean-American to serve as Washington’