WTO Secretary-General Election Kicks Off... Korea to Decide Based on National Interest and Election Prospects

Former and Current Trade Negotiation Chiefs Including Kim Hyun-jong and Yoo Myung-hee Mentioned
Government "Not Decided Whether to Nominate a Candidate"

Kim Hyun-jong, Deputy Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] As the election for the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) intensifies, attention is focused on whether the South Korean government will put forward a candidate. Both inside and outside the government, there is speculation that Korea might field a candidate. However, the government remains tight-lipped, stating, "No decision has been made yet."

Potential candidates include Kim Hyun-jong, the 2nd Deputy Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House (former Chief Negotiator for Trade), and Yoo Myung-hee, the Chief Negotiator for Trade. If Korea fields a candidate, it will be the third time challenging for the WTO Director-General position.

Yoo Myung-hee, Chief Negotiator of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (Photo by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)

According to the government and foreign media on the 21st, four candidates have currently registered.

They are Jesus Seade, Mexico's Deputy Foreign Minister for North American Affairs; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Chairperson of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) from Nigeria; Hamid Mamdouh, a lawyer and former Egyptian Foreign Ministry official; and Tudor Ulianovsky, former Moldovan Ambassador to Geneva.

Deputy Minister Jesus Seade previously served as the WTO's First Deputy Director-General, and Egypt's Mamdouh was the Director of the WTO Secretariat's Services Division. Nigeria's Okonjo-Iweala is the only female candidate registered so far.

The deadline for candidate registration is next month on the 8th, so variables remain. Phil Hogan, the European Union (EU) Commissioner for Trade, is also considering running.

On May 10th last month, Korean businesspeople heading to Tianjin, China through the Korea-China Business Rapid Passage (simplified entry procedures) system. The scene shows Lee Woo-jong, Vice President of Samsung Display; Lee Sung-ho, Economic Diplomacy Coordinator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Xing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador to Korea; Eom Chan-wang, Director of Trade Cooperation at the Ministry of Industry and Trade; along with executives and employees from Samsung Display, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Samsung Display partner companies greeting each other.
(Photo by Yonhap News)

Korea is leading the "middle power trade coalition" by leveraging its "K-quarantine" success. Last month, it spearheaded the implementation of the Korea-China Business Rapid Entry (simplified entry procedures) system and jointly issued a declaration with Singapore, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to facilitate the movement of essential personnel and smooth trade.

The government has diagnosed that the world has entered an era of "economic nationalism," where countries pursue "every man for himself" under the pretext of restructuring global value chains (GVCs). In such times, Korea's strategy is to actively advocate the importance of multilateral trade to the world.

Sung Yoon-mo, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Seong Yoon-mo, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, presented "global cooperation leadership" as one of the "eight post-COVID-19 tasks" at the "Post-COVID Industrial Strategy Dialogue and the 1st Meeting of the Industry and Corporate Crisis Response Team" last month. Minister Seong announced plans to lead a standard model for business exception entry and to push for the cessation of additional trade barriers through bilateral and multilateral consultations.

This aligns with the role of the next Director-General, who must navigate the surge of protectionism worldwide following COVID-19. Korea can argue that it is well-suited to restore and reform the WTO's shaken status amid the US-China conflict.

According to the WTO, candidates for the four-year Director-General term must possess extensive experience in international trade, economics, and politics; a firm belief in the WTO's work and objectives; and proven leadership, management, and communication skills.

The government is currently considering whether fielding a candidate would benefit national interests and whether there is a realistic chance of winning.

Roberto Azev?do, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), attending a press conference at the WTO headquarters in Geneva on April 12, 2018. Director-General Azev?do announced his intention to resign last month on the 14th, one year before the end of his term. (Photo by AFP)

Once nominated, candidates campaign among member countries for three months, after which the field is narrowed down to one candidate over the next two months.

The WTO General Council Chair consults with the 164 member countries, eliminating the candidate with the lowest support, and ultimately selects a single candidate by unanimous consent.

Past Director-Generals have come from Ireland (1st, 1993?95), Italy (2nd, 1995?99), New Zealand (3rd, 1999?2002), Thailand (4th, 2002?05), France (5th?6th, 2005?13), and Brazil (7th?8th, 2013?present).

Since the WTO considers "member diversity" in the final stages, continental balance could become a variable. African countries argue that "this time it's Africa's turn."

Korea previously nominated Park Tae-ho, then Chief Negotiator for Trade, at the end of 2012. Park did not pass the three-stage threshold.

In 1994, Kim Cheol-soo, Minister of Commerce and Industry, challenged but was defeated by Italy's Renato Ruggiero, becoming Deputy Director-General instead.

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