Editing Neocolonialism (section)

=== South Korea ===
To ensure a reliable, long-term supply of food, the [[South Korean government]] and powerful Korean multinationals bought farming rights to millions of [[hectare]]s of agricultural land in under-developed countries.<ref name="The Korea Times">{{cite news |url=https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2009/12/123_56697.html|title=Korea's Overseas Development Backfires |date=December 4, 2009 |work=[[Korea Times]] }}</ref>

South Korea's RG Energy Resources Asset Management CEO Park Yong-soo stressed that "the nation does not produce a single drop of [[crude oil]] and other key industrial minerals. To power economic growth and support people's livelihoods, we cannot emphasise too much that securing natural resources in foreign countries is a must for our future survival."<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 22, 2009 |title=Coherent State Support Key to Overseas Resources Development |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2021/08/693_48943.html |access-date=August 27, 2021 |work=[[Korea Times]] |language=en }}</ref> The head of the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] (FAO), [[Jacques Diouf]], stated that the rise in land deals could create a form of "neocolonialism", with poor states producing food for the rich at the expense of their own hungry people.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 22, 2008 |title=Rich countries launch great land grab to safeguard food supply |url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/nov/22/food-biofuels-land-grab |access-date=March 11, 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en }}</ref>

In 2008, South Korean multinational [[Daewoo]] Logistics secured 1.3 million hectares of farmland in [[Madagascar]] to grow maize and crops for [[biofuel]]s. Roughly half of the country's arable land, as well as rainforests were to be converted into [[Palm oil|palm]] and corn [[monoculture]]s, producing food for export from a country where a third of the population and 50 percent of children under five are [[malnourished]], using South African workers instead of locals. Local residents were not consulted or informed, despite being dependent on the land for food and income. The controversial deal played a major part in prolonged anti-government protests that resulted in over a hundred deaths.<ref name="The Korea Times"/> This was a source of popular resentment that contributed to the fall of then-President [[Marc Ravalomanana]]. The new president, [[Andry Rajoelina]], cancelled the deal.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 17, 2015 |title=Madagascar scraps Daewoo farm deal |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7e133310-13ba-11de-9e32-0000779fd2ac.html%23axzz3uXgFLKzr |archive-url=https://archive.today/20151217024440/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7e133310-13ba-11de-9e32-0000779fd2ac.html%23axzz3uXgFLKzr |archive-date=December 17, 2015 |access-date=August 27, 2021 |work=[[Financial Times]]}}</ref> [[Tanzania]] later announced that South Korea was in talks to develop 100,000 hectares for food production and processing for 700 to 800 billion [[South Korean won|won]]. Scheduled to be completed in 2010, it was to be the largest single piece of overseas South Korean agricultural infrastructure ever built.<ref name="The Korea Times"/>

In 2009, [[Hyundai Heavy Industries]] acquired a majority stake in a company cultivating 10,000 hectares of farmland in the [[Russian Far East]] and a [[South Koreans|South Korean]] provincial government secured 95,000 hectares of farmland in [[Oriental Mindoro]], central [[Philippines]], to grow [[Maize|corn]]. The [[South Jeolla]] province became the first provincial government to benefit from a new central government fund to develop farmland overseas, receiving a loan of $1.9 million. The project was expected to produce 10,000 tonnes of feed in the first year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 16, 2009 |title=S. Korea Leases Philippine Farmland to Grow Corn |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/08/113_48556.html |access-date=August 27, 2021 |work=[[Korea Times]] |language=en }}</ref> South Korean multinationals and provincial governments purchased land in [[Sulawesi]], [[Indonesia]], [[Cambodia]] and [[Bulgan Province|Bulgan]], [[Mongolia]]. The national [[South Korean government]] announced its intention to invest 30 billion [[South Korean won|won]] in land in [[Paraguay]] and [[Uruguay]]. As of 2009 discussions with [[Laos]], [[Myanmar]] and [[Senegal]] were underway.<ref name="The Korea Times"/>