Human Security in Practice: The Case of South Korea

This chapter discusses the acceptance of human security by the “ODA community” in South Korea. The authors examine official documents, academic publications, and interviews with stakeholders, to see whether the term “human security” was explicitly or implicitly used. The result shows that even though the South Korean government does not use the term very often, it has embraced the three freedoms, protection, and empowerment in its official development assistance (ODA) policies. While it is not clear whether the idea of human security has been fully implemented in ODA activities, it is noteworthy that the term has been explicitly used by the South Korean government. The chapter concludes by mentioning the possible utility of the concept with regard to future situations around North Korea.