KABUL - The Embassy of the Republic of Korea says that its priority in development cooperation is to reach the grassroots, those who are most vulnerable and most affected, especially in remote areas of Afghanistan, against all odds.
Rhee Zha Hyoung the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Afghanistan, in an interview with The Daily Outlook said “we implement development projects mainly through and with international organizations as it is difficult for us to reach insecure areas by ourselves”.
Mr. RHEE added that the Government of the Republic of Korea has so far implemented development projects all over Afghanistan, not only in Kabul but also in almost all of the Provinces, including Badakhshan, Balkh, Kunduz, Nangarhar, Paktika, Kandahar, Helmand, Farah, Herat, Badghis, Bamiyan, Daikundi, and so on.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea also said that, by the end of last year, his country has contributed about 1 Billion USD in various areas such as education, health, governance, rural development, disaster risk reduction, enhanced security, gender equality, and humanitarian assistance. According to the Ambassador, about two-thirds of the country’s focus has been on social and economic development. Mr. RHEE emphasized that by the end of 2020, the contribution will reach almost 1.2 Billion USD.
Education has been one of its top priorities. The Ambassador indicated that most recently, in cooperation with UNOPS, 24 schools have been built in Parwan, Panjshir and Kapisa provinces. Mr. RHEE added that, in cooperation with UNESCO, they have been trying to eradicate illiteracy in Afghanistan, in particular among afghan adults since adults, unlike schoolchildren, cannot go to school to learn how to read and write. He pointed to the success of his country in this regard and said “I believe that one of the key elements that served for the success of the Republic of Korea in Economic Development is that the illiteracy was brought to nearly zero.”
Ambassador added that they do their best to eradicate illiteracy in Afghanistan “because a literate society not only increases the chance for individuals to get a job, but also increases understanding of democracy among people. As such, the eradication of illiteracy is important both for economic development and for political democracy.”
Furthermore, in its efforts to provide quality vocational training for Afghan youth, the government of the Republic of Korea helped build and run a vocational training institute since 2004. According to the Ambassador, so far around 7000 trainees graduated from the institute, 75 % of them on average getting a job right after graduation. This Afghanistan – Korea Vocational Training Institute (AKVTI) is currently running seven departments: English, Computer, Auto-mechanic, Construction, Tailoring, Electricity, Plumbing and Welding. The Ambassador mentioned that the Korean government is planning to further expand the vocational training in the years ahead.  
Mr. RHEE also said that they are trying to pave the way for promoting gender equality and educating female teachers. He believes that lack of female teachers at schools could be one of the reasons that a considerable number of parents prevent their daughters from going to schools in many parts of the country. 
In the cultural sector, in cooperation with UNESCO, the Republic of Korea is building the Bamyan Culture Center. According to the Ambassador, the construction will be completed, hopefully, by the end of this year.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea stated that in order to upgrade relationship between the Republic of Korea and Afghanistan, people need to know better each other. In this context, he pointed to two Korean Language Programs at Kabul and Herat Universities, which help students continue their higher education in Korea. He also added that currently more than fifty Afghan students are studying in degree courses in Korea in diverse areas.
Another key area that Korea has been paying attention to is health sector. Over the past years, Republic of Korea has built and renovated several hospitals in Afghanistan. Fighting malnutrition, especially through establishing soybean value chain, strengthening access to quality healthcare in the most vulnerable population, saving newborn, child and maternal lives, and increasing access to gender-based violence services are among Korea’s activities in this sector in Afghanistan.  (DoA)