South Korea

2008 Results

Aid

What it measures

Aid quality is just as important as aid quantity, so the CDI measures gross aid as a share of GNI adjusted for various quality factors: it subtracts debt service, penalizes “tied” aid that makes recipients spend aid only on donor goods and services, rewards aid to poor but relatively uncorrupt recipients, and penalizes overloading poor governments with many small projects.

South Korea Overall

  • Score: 0.6
  • Rank: 22

South Korea Strengths

  • No tied or partially tied aid (rank: 1)
  • Prevents project proliferation; large average project size (rank: 7)

South Korea Weaknesses

  • Very low net aid volume as a share of the economy (0.05%; rank: 22)
  • Small amount of private charitable giving attributable to tax policy (rank as a share of GDP: 15)
  • Selectivity: large share of aid to less poor and relatively undemocratic governments (rank: 20)

Trade

What it measures

International trade has been a force for economic development for centuries. The CDI measures trade barriers in rich countries against exports from developing countries.

South Korea Overall

  • Score: 0.0
  • Rank: 22

South Korea Strengths

  • Low agricultural subsidies (equivalent to a tariff worth 4.0% of the value of imports; rank: 3)

South Korea Weaknesses

  • High tariffs on agricultural commodities (198.3% of the value of imports; rank: 22)

Investment

What it measures

Rich-country investment in poorer countries can transfer technologies, upgrade management and create jobs. The CDI includes a checklist of policies that support productive investment in developing countries.

South Korea Overall

  • Score: 4.6
  • Rank: 17

South Korea Strengths

  • Employs tax-sparing arrangements to prevent double taxation of corporate profits earned abroad

South Korea Weaknesses

  • Does not provide political risk insurance through a national agency
  • Does not provide support for outflows of portfolio investment

Migration

What it measures

The movement of people from poor to rich countries provides unskilled immigrants with jobs, income, and knowledge. This increases the flow of money sent home by migrants abroad and the transfer of skills when the migrants return.

Japan Overall

  • Score: 0.9
  • Rank: 22

South Korea Strengths

  • Large share of foreign students from developing countries (89%; rank: 2)
  • Tuition for foreign students the same as for nationals

South Korea Weaknesses

  • Decline during the 1990s in the number of unskilled immigrants from developing countries living in South Korea (rank by share of population: 20)
  • Small number of immigrants from developing countries entering South Korea (rank by share of population: 22)
  • Bears small share of the burden of refugees during humanitarian crises (rank: 22)

Evironment

What it measures

Rich countries use a disproportionate amount of scarce resources and poor countries are most vulnerable to global warming and ecological deterioration, so the CDI measures the impact of policies on the global climate, fisheries and biodiversity.

South Korea Overall

  • Score: 2.3
  • Rank: 22

South Korea Strengths

  • High gas taxes ($1.20 per liter; rank: 1)

South Korea Weaknesses

  • High tropical wood imports ($15.37 per person; rank: 21)
  • High greenhouse gas emissions rate per capita (12.1 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent; rank: 13)
  • High consumption of ozone depleting substances per capita (rank: 22)

Security

What it measures

Since security is a prerequisite for development, the CDI rewards contributions to internationally sanctioned peacekeeping operations and forcible humanitarian interventions, rewards military protection of global sea lanes, and penalizes arms exports to poor and undemocratic governments.

South Korea Overall

  • Score: 1.7
  • Rank: 22

South Korea Strengths

  • No arms exports to poor and undemocratic governments (rank by share of GDP: 1)

South Korea Weaknesses

  • Small financial or personnel contributions to internationally sanctioned peacekeeping and humanitarian interventions over last decade (rank by share of GDP: 22)
  • No protection of global sea lanes

Technology

What it measures

Rich countries contribute to development through the creation and dissemination of new technologies. The CDI captures this by measuring government support for R&D and penalizing strong intellectual property rights regimes that limit the dissemination of new technologies to poor countries.

South Korea Overall

  • Score: 6.8
  • Rank: 1

South Korea Strengths

  • Large tax subsidy rate to businesses for R&D (rank: 6)
  • No attempt to incorporate into bilateral free trade agreements “TRIPS-Plus” measures that would restrict the flow of innovations to developing countries
  • High government expenditure on R&D (rank by share of GDP: 7)

South Korea Weaknesses

  • Allows patents on plant and animal varieties
  • Allows patents on software programs