The Toughest 2R... Yoo Myung-hee's Final European Campaign in WTO Election 2R

The voice for Africa's 'Danilhwa' is still small
Burden of unanimous votes due to '1 country 2 votes' instead of '1 country 1 vote'
Korea failed to unite Asia... China and Japan declare support for Africa
UK unlikely to disperse African votes in Europe due to Brexit
US and EU's strategy to disperse African votes is realistic
"Must reach finals even as 2nd place to get the last 1:1 showdown chance"

Yoo Myung-hee, Director-General for Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Yoo Myung-hee, head of the Trade Negotiations Department at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is in the midst of her final European campaign for the second round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General election.

According to the Ministry of Trade on the 30th, Director Yoo has been visiting Geneva, Switzerland, and Sweden since the 27th and will continue until the 2nd of next month, conducting lobbying activities targeting WTO member countries.

Considering that the member consultation process related to the second round will continue until the 6th, this is effectively the last on-site campaign.

◆ Final European On-Site Campaign for the Second Round

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Before the second round, Director Yoo plans to request support and discuss directions for WTO reform through meetings with ministerial-level officials from various countries and WTO ambassadors stationed in Geneva.

Since announcing her candidacy, Director Yoo has actively campaigned on-site by visiting Geneva, Switzerland; Paris, France; and Washington DC, USA, consecutively.

She visited the United States around the 18th, when news of passing the first round was announced, and has been visiting Europe throughout the second round campaign period.

This strategy appears to reflect a realistic concern that among the five candidates advancing to the second round, two are from Africa, and Director Yoo is in a chasing position.

◆ African 'Unification' Voices Are Small... Korea Disadvantaged by Weak Asian Support

Former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She has been considered a strong candidate for the WTO Director-General election from the early stages. (Image source=Reuters Yonhap News)

Among the 163 WTO member countries, African countries are the most numerous, and Europe, where votes tend to concentrate, is also favorable to Africa.

Korea has failed to unite Asian forces such as China and Japan. Rather, China and Japan have declared support for the strongest competitor, Africa.

Therefore, experts say that Director Yoo needs a strategy to campaign mainly in advanced countries such as the United States, Germany, and France to disperse African votes as much as possible, then advance to the final as second place and engage in the final one-on-one competition.

◆ Burden of 'One Country Two Votes' Not 'One Country One Vote'... "Must Reach Finals Even as Second"

The US-China conflict also plays a significant role as a major variable in the WTO Director-General election. From South Korea's perspective, which has failed to gather support from Asia, it is necessary to win the votes of the United States. However, there are concerns that the US, advocating 'protectionism' due to its conflict with China, may conflict with Yoo's justification, who promotes multilateralism. (Image source=Reuters Yonhap News)

Many opinions suggest that the one-on-one final is better than the second round. The second round is not one country one vote but one country two votes, so member countries can vote for both African candidates, which is burdensome.

Depending on the situation, voices for 'African unification' may arise, and since it is easier to concentrate votes on a specific force when there are two votes per country rather than one, the impact is expected to be significant.

According to foreign media, in Africa, public opinion is not yet strong for unification behind either Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian Finance Minister, or Amina Mohamed, former WTO General Council Chair from Kenya.

Rather than unification, calls are made to ▲expand Africa's trade share, ▲adjust tariff systems to reorganize value chains, and ▲reform agricultural subsidies.

However, there is a message urging to sweep the votes of developing countries. Since support from Africa and Asia and friendly relations with Europe have already been secured, if the votes for the Nigerian and Kenyan candidates are not significantly split in the second round, Africa is realistically advantageous.

The U.S. citizenship of candidate Ngozi, raised by Chinese media, is not expected to be a major variable.

A government official said, "We understand that some foreign media, including China, have reported on this, but it is a matter in the hands of voters from each country with two votes," and predicted, "It will not be a major variable."

◆ "U.S. Support Essential... Realistic to Aim for Finals as Second by Drawing EU Votes"

The prevailing view that the UK will not receive support from the EU due to the Brexit issue (the UK's withdrawal from the European Union) is bad news for Chief Eu. Since Europe and Africa have traditionally been friendly, if the UK fails to secure votes, it could lead to a "push towards Africa." (Image source=AP Yonhap News)

Ultimately, U.S. support is essential, and the conclusion is that as many votes as possible must be drawn from the EU. In the U.S., former UK International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, and in the EU, the two African candidates are considered competitors.

Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri, former Saudi Arabian Minister of Economic Planning, cannot be ignored, but many say that it is a surprise that he advanced to the second round, as he is less well-known than Jes?s Seade, former WTO Deputy Director-General from Mexico, who was eliminated in the first round.

The government has shown a cautious response. A member of the election task force (TF) said, "The U.S. rarely publicly declares preferred candidates in elections for international organizations including the WTO," and added, "Director Yoo is not only targeting the U.S. and Europe but also meeting ambassadors and ministers from Africa and Latin America."

The schedule after the second round will be finalized through consultations between the WTO General Council Chair, who oversees the election process, and WTO member countries. The final decision is expected to be announced by early November at the latest.

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