Graduate students of the Department of Saemaul and International Development recognized for research capacities in the international development cooperation field
Gained capacities as experts in common issues of the global community
[November 19, 2019]
<YU Graduate School of Saemaul and International Development students won second place at the 8th EDCF International Development Contest>
(from left to right, Seo Eun-ji, Choi Han-ul, Lee Jin-ri)
YU Graduate School of Saemaul and International Development students won second place at the ‘8th EDCF International Development Contest (thesis contest)’ held on November 11.
The Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) International Development Contest is a thesis contest held for domestic and foreign college and graduate school students in order to elevate awareness on Korean official development aid for the younger generation and is hosted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which oversees the EDCF, and the Export-Import Bank of Korea.
A total of six teams area awarded based on creativity and the possibility for proposing international development cooperation policies through screening in preliminaries and the main contest. The YU Graduate School of Saemaul and International Development team (Adviser Park Seung-woo) comprised of Choi Han-ul (33, second term in PhD program), Seo Eun-ji (23, second term in master’s course), and Lee Jin-ri (22, second term in master’s course) won second place.
They presented their paper on the theme of <Donor-Recipient Private Partnership Loan (DRPPL) for development in the private sector>. This study investigated the outstanding development models in the private sector by advanced contributing nations. After conducting analysis using research hypotheses on theories related to strategic partnerships between companies, which has been pointed out as a limitation, it proposed a new type of loan model to expand the spectrum of Korean loan aids, thereby drawing attention. In particular, it was judged that this research paper has high value to be utilized for international development policies by the international community.
Meanwhile, Choi Hyun-gyu (24, second term in master’s course) of the YU Graduate School of Saemaul and International Development, who also participated in the contest by teaming up with other graduate school students, also won a participation prize. Also, students of the YU Department of Saemaul and International Development were recognized for their enhanced understanding on official development aid (ODA) by participating in the ‘EDCF college (graduate school) student camp’ hosted by the Export-Import Bank of Korea and for establishing global cooperation strategies (CPS), thus winning first and second place.
Global Saemaul Development Network Chairman Choi Wae-chul (Professor at the YU Department of Saemaul and International Development) said, “As Korea has developed from a recipient to a contributor, it is important to strive to return the gratitude for receiving aid in the past back to the international community. From this aspect, the meaning of this EDCF International Development Contest, which is a program for fostering academics that share the Korean experience according to the features of developing countries, is very special.” He added, “In the case of Korea, free aid is mainly provided by KOICA, while loans are mainly overseen by the Export-Import Bank of Korea (EDCF). I hope that YU students, who are acknowledged for their capacities in the international development cooperation sector, will continue to build their capacities as experts of common issues for the global community.”
The YU Department of Saemaul and International Development is a special academic department that turned the Saemaul Undong, a UNESCO Memory of the World, into a science with the goal of overcoming poverty in developing countries and fostering human resources for the international development cooperation sector. Students and graduates of the department are selected for various internships such as overseas volunteer corps and international organizations, or participate in various domestic and overseas ODA (official development aid) projects or international development activities.
