Participants will spend six months at overseas offices building practical skills in international development; government plans to deploy 9 trillion won ($5.93 billion) through EDCF over the next three years
The Export-Import Bank of Korea announced Wednesday that it will send 30 Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) youth regional specialists to 11 developing countries.
The participants will be placed in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mongolia, India, Uzbekistan, Ghana and Colombia.
The EDCF Youth Regional Specialist Program is an overseas internship that selects aspiring international development professionals from among domestic university and graduate students and places them in developing countries.
The youth specialists departing this June will spend six months at EDCF overseas offices, building the skills needed to become international development cooperation professionals. The Export-Import Bank of Korea will support their growth into next-generation leaders in the field, equipping them with theoretical knowledge, practical experience and on-the-ground expertise.
"The youth regional specialist program offers a rare opportunity to witness firsthand the impact of EDCF projects and the process through which they come to fruition," a bank official said. "We hope this program will serve as a stepping stone for many young people to build careers that reach out to the world."
EDCF is an economic aid fund for developing countries established by the government in 1987. The Export-Import Bank of Korea operates and manages the fund under a mandate from the minister of finance.
The government approved the "2026–2028 EDCF Medium-Term Operational Direction" in April, setting a plan to deploy a total of 9 trillion won ($5.93 billion) through the fund over the next three years. This year, it will disburse 1.9 trillion won, a 1.5 percent increase from the previous year.
hyuk@heraldcorp.com
