S. Korea allocates US$5.4m in grant aid to Indonesia
S. Korea allocates US$5.4m in grant aid to Indonesia
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Mindful of the hardships it went through in the tough days
after the Korean War in the 1950s, the Republic of Korea, or
South Korea, has been avidly pursuing its calling to grow
together with the other 140-odd developing countries of the
world.
Spearheading this drive is the Korea International Corporation
Agency (Koica), which the government in Seoul established in
April 1991.
Operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade of Korea, Koica focuses its programs on
environmental protection, human rights, women's and refugee
issues and economic development.
"South Korea was one of the poor countries of the world
immediately after the war, but we developed our country as best
as possible with the assistance of the developed countries, and
through this experiences in building our country we would like to
extend our help to our fellow developing countries," the resident
representative of Koica in Indonesia, Han Choong-Sik, told The
Jakarta Post.
In Indonesia, Koica has allocated an amount of US$5.337
million for grants this year and an additional US$15 million to
assist with reconstruction and rehabilitation programs in Nangroe
Aceh Darussalam after the 2004 catastrophe.
"Out of the total aid of US$15 million sent to Aceh by Koica,
Koica donated US$1.3 million in cash for medication, water
treatment and other materials," said Han.
He said that the other US$13.7 million would be allocated for
the development of schools, hospitals and training programs in
Aceh.
"We are currently still waiting for the office of the State
Minister of National Development Planning (Bappenas) to complete
the blueprint for the projects," said Han.
As for the other aid projects planned for this year, he said,
Koica has just handed over the Friendship Sport Center in Cibubur
after its completion on March 15.
"The two-story sport center was built at a cost of US$2,8
million. It can seat 2,100 people and boasts 200 athlete's
dormitory rooms, training centers and a media center," said Han.
The sport center is located on Jl. Pusdika No. 59, Cibubur,
East Jakarta, and occupies 5,200 square meters of a total area of
25,000 sq m.
"We have presented the project to the directorate general of
sports and the Ministry of National Education to be operated, and
to maintain the sport centers in preparation for the upcoming tae
kwon do, basketball and volleyball events," Han explained.
Koica, which has 25 representative offices worldwide, has
invited trainees to visit Korea under its technical cooperation
program for human resource development, dispatching experts such
as medical doctors, scientists and tae kwon do instructors to
provide consultation and make recommendations on policies and
technologies in various fields. In addition, Koica has sent
Korean volunteers overseas.
"In Indonesia, 75 of Korea's experts are working in Sumatra,
Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Java. We expect that by the end of this
year there will be another 45 experts coming into the country,"
said Han.
He said that the volunteers were recruited in Korea and paid
by the Korean government to work for a two-year period with local
residents in developing countries.
"In Indonesia, a volunteer gets paid about US$300 a month,
whereas a fresh graduate in Korea can make US$2,000 per month,"
said Han.
Han said that the South Korean government did not expect any
particular benefits by providing the aid. Rather, it considered
it its duty to contribute to the development of other developing
countries, since South Korea itself was helped by the developed
countries in the years after the war.
"It's a token of our friendship with our fellow developing
countries," said Han. (004)