"WTO Secretary-General Election Postponed to Next Year... Expected to Proceed After Biden's Inauguration"

Kyodo News "Not Included in the Agenda of the General Board Meeting on the 16th-17th"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] It has been confirmed that the World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General election process, with Yoo Myung-hee, the Chief Negotiator of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the final candidates, will be postponed until next year, Kyodo News reported on the 11th.

According to the report, the WTO notified its member countries that the upcoming General Council meeting scheduled for the 16th-17th will not include the election of the next Director-General on the agenda. As a result, the WTO Director-General position will remain vacant for nearly six months.

Kyodo News, citing sources, reported that the election was postponed because the Trump administration in the United States continuously opposed candidate Okonjo-Iweala, who had received support from many member countries. The U.S. expressed support for Chief Negotiator Yoo.

The WTO aims to hold the General Council meeting to elect the Director-General after Joe Biden, the next U.S. President, takes office on January 20 next year. The first regular WTO General Council meeting of next year is scheduled for February.

In this regard, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently reported that the incoming U.S. administration may shift its support toward candidate Okonjo-Iweala in the WTO Director-General race.

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