Police University Holds Academic Conference on ODA Achievements and Development Directions

Discussion on Achievements and Development Plans of Security Public Development Aid

The Korean National Police University held an academic conference to discuss the achievements and future directions of Korea's public security official development assistance.

Kim Sun-ho, President of the Korean National Police University, is seen delivering a greeting at the academic conference held on the 16th at the Korean National Police University located in Asan-si, Chungnam./Photo by the National Police Agency

On the afternoon of the 16th, the Korean National Police University hosted an academic conference at its campus in Asan, Chungnam, under the theme "Achievements and Future Directions of Korea's Public Security Official Development Assistance." The event was attended by over 100 officials, including Anne Juepner, Director of the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre, representatives from the Office for Government Policy Coordination's International Development Cooperation Headquarters, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Development Cooperation Bureau.

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, conveyed via video message, "We will expand the scale of public security cooperation projects to 2% of the national official development assistance by 2030, fulfilling our role as a key country in international public security." He added, "Along with expanding the scale, we will actively develop content aligned with national foreign policy to contribute to national interests."

The academic conference proceeded in three sessions. It reviewed overseas trends in public security official development assistance and included presentations and discussions on official development assistance involving the police.

Kim Min-seong, General Manager of Development Cooperation at the Office for Government Policy Coordination's International Development Cooperation Headquarters, stated, "Korea's public security official development assistance plays a significant role in supporting Korea's overall international development cooperation and enhancing the effectiveness of projects."

Oh Ik-jun, Manager of the International Cooperation Policy Division at the National Police Agency, said, "The scale of government official development assistance aimed at achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is on the rise. Through official development assistance projects, we expect to improve the quality of life for local citizens and achieve the police's core public security objectives, such as protecting overseas Koreans and cooperating in joint investigations."

Lee Kyu-ho, Counselor of the Development Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mentioned, "In international development cooperation, keywords such as localization and sustainability are important. It is time for the Korean police to review the achievements of past ODA projects and move toward large-scale, packaged initiatives in line with the new government’s policy direction."

Kim Soon-ho, President of the Korean National Police University, said, "I am pleased to welcome experts from various fields to reflect on the public security official development assistance projects of recent years and to consider the way forward together." He added, "The Korean National Police University will continue to carry out advanced public security official development assistance projects and strengthen its role as an international educational institution contributing to world peace and safety."