Ministry of Foreign Affairs Awards Certificates to 15 Junior Experts of International Organizations

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Kang Jeong-sik, Director-General for Multilateral Diplomacy Coordination, awarded certificates of acceptance to 15 final successful candidates for the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) positions scheduled for dispatch this year on the 14th.

The JPO program is a system that supports dispatching personnel to international organizations such as the United Nations under the financial burden of the Korean government, allowing them to work under the same conditions as regular staff members of the international organizations for up to two years. Approximately 400 applicants applied for positions at the UN Secretariat (DPO, OCT, OIOS), UN Resident Coordinator Offices (Bhutan, Sudan), IOM, IFAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, WHO, OECD, UNFCCC, ILO, WFP, and UNICEF, with 15 final candidates selected.

Director-General Kang stated, "I hope the selected candidates will grow into professionals with international capabilities and experience during their JPO dispatch period," and added, "I urge them to contribute responsibly to the international community with the mindset of representing our youth on the global stage." The successful candidates will be guided through dispatch procedures and preparations, complete pre-departure training, and then be dispatched to their respective workplaces.

Since 1996, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dispatched a total of 193 JPOs to international organizations such as the UN Secretariat. Among the 161 JPOs whose dispatch periods have ended, 130 have advanced to regular positions within international organizations, recording a high regular employment rate of about 80%.

This year, 20 JPOs are expected to be selected, an increase of five from last year. Furthermore, as the JPO program is evaluated as a highly effective means for Koreans to enter international organizations, efforts will be made to expand the scale of dispatches.

In addition to the JPO program, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs implements various support programs to assist Koreans in entering international organizations, including dispatching to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV), holding briefings and occasional meetings on entering international organizations, posting international organization vacancies on the International Organization Personnel Center website, and providing on-site consultations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.