Cambodia-ROK Relations: Human Resource Development

Chet Chealy
Name in Latin Alphabet:	Chet Chealy
Nationality:	Cambodia
Affiliation:	Rector of Royal University of Phnom Penh

Introduction

Cambodia-ROK relations was first established on 18 May 1970 and became short-lived and severed in 1975 when the radical Khmer Rouge took power in Phnom Penh. The diplomatic relations has been developed for over the last two decades after these two countries restored their relations on 30 October 1997 after an official visit of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to the Republic of Korea in 1996. In December 2014, after attending the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in Busan, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen paid an official visit to the ROK at the invitation of Korean President Park Geun-Hye. In the bilateral meeting, both leaders agreed to upgrade the level of bilateral ties from ‘Partnership Relations’ to ‘Strategic Partnership’ cooperation, further deepening and advancing the friendly and cooperative diplomatic and military cooperation between the two countries.

After a number of exchanges of official visits between Cambodian-Korean leaders since 2007, Cambodia-ROK agreed to sign several cooperation agreements in 2009 that include grants and loans for Cambodia’s physical infrastructure construction and rehabilitation, such as road, waste water treatment, energy, mines, communications to name a few. At the official meeting with Cambodian counterpart in 2009, President Lee Myung-bak said the ROK would actively share its socio-economic development experience with Cambodia as part of its new pivot to Asia and agreed to provide Official Development Aids (ODA) for Cambodia’s Agricultural, Medical, Industrial and Educational Development programs.

Since 2011, the ROK’s assistance to Cambodia is ranked 4th after China, Japan and ADB, and mainly focuses on four main priority sectors: (1) Agricultural and Rural Development; (2) Infrastructure and Energy; (3) Human Resource Development; and (4) Health. These four areas align with Cambodian Strategic Development Plan to provide Cambodia with practical development assistance. Among Korean grant aids to Cambodia, 17.1 million US dollars were provided on three Development Projects including Education, Health and Aviation Service in 2013. Moreover, the ROK has so far technically and financially assisted Cambodia in many other projects necessary and conducive to developing human resources in Cambodia.

II. Vocational Training Programs

Since 1990s, the Government of the Republic of Korea through Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has provided Cambodia with a number of vocational training programs among which Korean Overseas Volunteers (KOVs) and Auto Mechanic Skill Training Programs have contributed a lot to developing technical skills, securing decent work for Cambodian people and particularly alleviating poverty in Cambodia.

II.I. Korea Overseas Volunteers (KOVs) Program

Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) since 1990s has established the Korea Overseas Volunteers (KOVs) program. The KOVs have promoted technical manpower development by deploying volunteers to live and work together with local communities in Cambodia in order to provide them with advanced technical assistances. The program covers a variety of fields including technical and vocational trainings, rural development, education, public health, etc. From 1991 to 2012, there are up to 252 KOVs in Phnom Penh and many provinces in Cambodia. Those provinces include Banteay Meanchey, Kompong Chnang, Kampong Thom, Mondolkiri, Pursat, Ratanakiri, Stung Treng, Pailin, Prey Veng, Kompot, Kompong Speu, Siem Reap, Takeo to name a few as shown in figure 1 below.

Figure 1: KOVs in Cambodia

II.II. Vocational Training Center

Cambodia is the third country after Ghana and Indonesia where the world leading Hyundai Motor Company and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) jointly fund a vocational training center. In 2004, Hyundai and the KOICA in cooperation with the Plan and National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPIC) have granted a total cost of over US$600,000 implementing ‘Auto Mechanic Skill Training Project’ for Cambodian unprivileged youths from four municipality and provinces in Cambodia. This project covers a variety of elements including (1) construction of a Training Center (Hyundai-KOICA Dream Centre), (2) provision of equipment as well as (3) machines and revision of training curriculum so as to enable practical and quality courses.

The project has also been collaborated with Camko Motor Company which that has offered internship opportunities to all the identified trainees for three months consecutively to develop their technical skills and work experience. This project is highly believed to secure decent work for at least 140 disadvantaged Cambodian youths for the first six months of its implementation, freeing them and their families from poverty cycle.

III. Korean Educational Institutions

In addition to several Korea supported vocational training programs, there are many education institutions funded by the Korean Government and implemented by Korean private and public institutions in cooperation with Cambodian Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) and its respective departments. Among those institutions, the Cambodia Development Institute (CDI) and Cambodia-Korea Cooperation Center (CKCC) have been serving as crucial educational hubs to promote and develop Cambodian human resources.

III.I. Cambodia Development Institute (CDI)

The Cambodia Development Institute (CDI) was established as part of the project funded by Korean Ministry of Education to promote capacity enhancement for sustainable development in Cambodia. The CDI has been implemented by the Ewha Woman’s University’s Graduate School of International Studies in cooperation with Royal University of Phnom Penh’s Department of International Studies (DIS). It aims to share the ROK’s and other Asian countries’ political, social and economic development experiences with Cambodia through a variety of research activities and training programs. In particular, the CDI has fostered research for Cambodia's economic development with a variety of research activities and training programs. Those include research methodology training programs and certificate programs about the Republic of Korea’s as well as other Asian countries’ development.

Since its inception in 2013, the CDI has so far generated a number of research outputs that include (1) database of development cooperation activities in Cambodia; (2) working papers on Cambodian development; and (3) academic journals. A collection of books, data, electronic journals, and software with an emphasis on Cambodia’s and Asia’s development as is available for students and researchers to use as references for their study and research.

III.I.I. CDI-RUPP Department of International Studies (DIS)

Through strong collaboration with the RUPP Department of International Studies (DIS), the CDI have succeeded in carrying out the following activities to enhance research capacity of university students (including DIS students) and RUPP faculty members:

Workshops

• Workshop for Outstanding Research (Certificate Program #1)
• Workshop for Outstanding Research (Certificate Program #2)
• Workshop for Outstanding Research (Certificate Program #3)
• Ewha-RUPP Exchange Student Workshop: The Development of Korea
• Ewha-RUPP Exchange Student Workshop: Introduction to Social Enterprise
• Cambodia Development Institute 2nd Certificate Program in Asian Development
• Ewha-RUPP-Nagoya Univ. Student Joint Workshop
• Cambodia's Development through Enhanced Education Cooperation with the Republic of Korea

Lectures

• The Ownership of the Korean Government
• Korea’s New Community Development(Saemaeul Undong)
• Development of Korea and Lessons for Cambodia (Part1, 2 and 3)
• Cambodian Economy for the Future
• Korean Economic Development and Challenges (Part1 and 2)
• Human Development Experiences: Education and Training (Part1 and 2)
• Korea's Development & ODA (Part1 and 2)
• CDI's Lecture for Fall 2013 Workshop in Phnom Pehn (Part1 and 2)
• CDI RUPP’s Faculty Visit Workshop (Lecture1-1, 1-2, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9)
• The Higher Education in Cambodia: Challenges and Road Ahead
• How to Make a Good Presentation
• Research methods & thesis writing
• Training on Effective Negotiation
• Project Proposal Writing
• Moodle Training
• Research Skills Seminar
• Cambodia Peace Building Process
• US Pivot to the Asia-Pacific
• Korean Economy
• Trade and Development
• International Finance
• East Asian Politics
• Data Analysis for Empirical Research
• The 17th Global Issues Colloquium

III.II. Cambodia-Korea Cooperation Center (CKCC)

The Cambodia-Korea Cooperation Center (CKCC) is the center for development of high quality human resources and enhancement of friendly and cooperative relations between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea, which is located at Royal University of Phnom Penh.

The CKCC serves as an important educational hub with three core objectives: (1) improving the effectiveness of Human Resource Development program as the Apex of Human Resource Development; (2) enhancing the efficiency of cooperation as the hub of KOICA Official Development Assistance (ODA) programs and linkage with Korean universities; and (3) improving the visibility of cultural cooperation as the hub of mutual exchange.

With its above objectives, the CKCC in cooperation with the RUPP, the CDI as well as other public and private partner institutions has provided Korea's advanced technology, knowledge and experiences through a variety of relevant training programs. Those programs mainly focus on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Korean language program, Management and Administration programs, Korean Development experience to name of few.

Moreover, the CKCC has hosted the Third Country Training Program (TCTP) and local training program by KOICA and Local Language Training Program for volunteers by the KOICA. In addition, the CKCC is a crucial venue not only for Cambodian Development Professionals from the RUPP, other Universities and related Cambodia institutes, but also for the Cambodia-Korea mutual governmental exchange programs.

IV. Ewha-RUPP Program Activities

Since 2007, the Ewha Womans University has supported the institutional capacity building development of the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s respective departments: RUPP Master of Social Work (MSW), RUPP Department of Environment Science (DES) and RUPP Department of Korea.

IV.I Ewha-RUPP Master of Social Work (MSW)

The Ewha Womans University’s Graduate School of Social Welfare (GSSW) has supported Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) in order to build institutional capacity since 2007.

After Ewha was selected as a ‘Leading University of International Cooperation’ project by Korean Ministry of Education in 2012, the Ewha GSSW expanded its academic activities through cooperation with the Ewha’s Graduate School of International Studies and School of Engineering. The followings are the Ewha-RUPP academic program activities for the purpose of institutional capacity development of RUPP for sustainable development of Cambodia:

• Graduate School of Social Welfare at Ewha and Master of Social Work program at RUPP
• Graduate School of International Studies at Ewha and Department of International Studies at RUPP
• Graduate School of Korean studies at Ewha and Department of Korean Studies at RUPP
• School of Environmental Engineering at Ewha and Department of Environmental Science at RUPP

Since its inception in 2007, the Ewha GSSW has supported the RUPP’s institutional capacity building worth being quoted as follows:

• Academic Capacity Development (Teaching & Learning perspective)

• Cambodia’s 1st and only Master’s degree program in Social Work
• About 30 students have studied over the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Cohort since 2009
• The Ewha GSSW Professors’ have visited over 50 times to teach academic courses since 2009
• Collaboration with the Ewha Social Services – Cambodia for students’ field practicum site
• Designed an innovative academic program (1-year advanced MSW program) which will be launched in 2016
• Global Korea Scholarship support for RUPP students for MA in Social Welfare and Ph.D. in Social Welfare

• Ph.D. student (Ms. Chan Vuthy) – the 1st Ph.D. in Social Welfare at RUPP
• MA students (Ms. Seng Tola, Ms. Sidou Leng)

• Academic facilities improvement (Research and University Social Responsibility perspective)

• Installation of MSW program office, study room, library, classroom
• Nation’s 1st online-hybrid classroom for sustainable faculty involvement from the Ewha Womans University
• Building a Social Service Center with Research institute of Social Development (Planned) at RUPP Campus II

IV.II. Ewha-RUPP Department of Environment Science (DES)

Since 2012, with the support and cooperation with the Ewha Womans University, the RUPP Department of Environment Science (DES) has achieved the following project outcomes:

• The project provided an opportunity for close cooperation between the DES’s and the Ewha’s faculty members on a wide range of experiences in research and capacity development through participating in annual winter school program. Moreover, students get a chance to attend a special training offered by the Ewha’s faculty staff on river water sampling and also an internship program during their semester break.
• Laboratory development, technically on air quality monitoring, has been purchased under this project which supports a study of one of the RUPP DES for the PhD research on air quality monitoring in Phnom Penh Capital.
• Curriculum reform includes (1) An introduction to Environmental Modeling course will be jointly in charged by the DES’s and the Ehwa’s faculty members, and (2) Students Service Learning during semester break counted as a credit to make it more attractive with technical support from the Ewha.
• Office renovation has been enhanced under the project. The DES thus has a new working environment as well as some of important office equipment which make the DES function more effectively.

This cooperative project has been confirmed to be extended to 2021. The future direction of the project would likely as follows:

• Continue the monitoring program using the two air samplers: They are just arrived and need sometimes to set up the monitoring program. Monitoring program is a time consuming process thus by extending the project, this program will be effectively implemented. It is also expected that some joint publications will be possible from this monitoring work.
• New curriculum development for future Master program in Environmental Science: Currently the DES is functioning only Bachelor program. Given a need to build human resource capacity in this filed is very crucial, thus a need for building up master program for the DES is strongly needed especially with technical support from Ewha faculty members.

IV.III. Ewha-RUPP Department of Korea

In October 2002, a Korean language short course was established with support from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Cambodia. In March 2007, the University officially established a Bachelor of Arts in Korean through a grant from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. The Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have continued to support the Department.

Fourteen teaching staffs are currently working in the Department of Korean. Among them, one is from the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS), two are dispatched from KOICA, two are visiting lecturers from Ewha Womans University, and nine are contract lecturers (five are local, and four and Korean instructors) in order to ensure the effectiveness of the Department of Korea at RUPP.

The Ewha GSSW will continue supporting and cooperating with the RUPP departments to promote and further strengthen institutional capacity buildings. These practical development projects have aligned with the RUPP institutional mission and goals to be Cambodia’s Center of Excellence as well as National Flagship Higher Education Institution.

V. Korean Saemaul Undong Projects

Saemaul Undong (SMU) is known as Korea’s community-based integrated rural development movement as the driving force behind Korea’s rapid socio-economic development and modernization. This model has succeeded in the Korea’s community development by drawing individuals’ active voluntary participations and collective decisions in developing their local communities. Due to its significance, in February 2014, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Cambodian Ministry of Rural Development agreed to sign Record of Discussions on ‘Self-Supporting Rural Development Project with Saemaul Undong’s Participatory Approach’ project at the Ministry of Rural Development in Cambodia.

The Record of Discussions has been signed by H.E. Suos Kong, Secretary of State of Cambodian Ministry of Rural Development, and Ms. Baek Sook Hee, Representative of the KOICA Cambodia Office with the high presence of H.E. Chea Sophara, Minister of the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) and H.E. Kim Han Soo, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Cambodia, and participation of the KOICA delegates as well as MRD’s officials.

This project primarily aims to (1) promote a community-based integrated rural development model to enhance the villagers’ voluntary participations and collective decisions to develop rural communities in Cambodia; (2) mainstream capacity development at all levels, from the central government to local village committees, by disseminating SMU’s three guiding principles of diligence, self-help and cooperation; and (3) strengthen the basis for the SMU model to spread it nationwide by ensuring the success of 30 pilot projects in terms of income generation, environment improvement and community empowerment.

The project has been carried out for a period of five years (2014-2018) based on the Framework Arrangement on Grant Aid for the year 2014. The government of the Republic of Korea provided grant aid equivalent to $8 million US dollars for the intensive SMU activities that are divided into three categories: (1) Strategic Policy Consulting and Master-planning, (2) Capacity Development of government officials and villagers and (3) Pilot Projects at 30 villages. As planned, the project outputs will include (1) SMU Master Plan, (2) Establishment of SMU Training Center (Feasibility Study on the Establishment of Hun Sen Saemual Undong University in Cambodia in 2015), (3) Development of Education Curriculums and Training Materials, (4) Local Training Program, (5) Invitational Training Program, and (5) Pilot Project for income generation, environment improvement and spiritual reform.

VI. Korean Scholarships and Exchange Programs

Since its inception in 1991, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has been responsible for grant aids programs and played an important role in Korea’s implementation of Official Development Assistance (ODA). The KOICA Cambodia Office was established in 2003 in response to a wide range of development projects in Cambodia.

Under the Korean grant aid and ODA scheme for Cambodia’s human resource development, millions US dollars have been provided by the Korean Government through the KOICA in form of scholarships and exchange programs to Cambodian students and government officials annually. These programs strive to develop and increase their capacity and knowledge and to bridge Cambodian-ROK good relations. According to Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation’s Aide Memoire on the Republic of Korea (ROK), 18 Cambodian government officials received scholarships, and the other 152 officials were offered the training programs in 2014 and 2015. Besides, a huge number of Cambodian students get scholarships and exchange programs to study in various Korean universities every year through the Korean Government Scholarship and other scholarship programs.

VII. Conclusion

For the past two decades, Cambodia and the Republic of Korea have developed and upgraded their diplomatic relations from ‘Partnership’ to ‘Strategic Partnership’ which further strengthens Cambodia-ROK cooperation in trade and investment as well as in a broad range of development projects in Cambodia. Since 1990s, the Korean Government has continued providing Cambodia with both grand aids and Official Development Assistance (ODA) through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in facilitating and coordinating a variety of development projects particularly in Cambodia’s human resource development. The vocational training programs, Korean educational institutions in cooperation with the Royal University of Phnom Penh, ‘Saemaul Undong’ projects, Korean Government scholarships and exchange programs as well as other development projects have indubitably seen as suitable to the pressing needs of Cambodia to build and develop human resources, create more job opportunities and alleviate poverty. These human resource development programs have also promoted people-to-people connectivity across these two countries and will further deepen Cambodia-ROK Strategic Partnership quantitatively and qualitatively in the years to come.

발표문 목록

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