Eom Woo-jong Appointed Director General of ADB Secretariat... First Korean in 15 Years

27 Years at ADB... Director of Sustainable Development and Climate Change

Eom Woo-jong, the new Secretary-General of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). (Photo by Asia Economy DB)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced on the 22nd that Um Woo-jong, Director General of Sustainable Development and Climate Change at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has been appointed as the Secretary General of ADB.

The Secretary General is a key position attending the management meeting (6 members) along with the President and Vice Presidents. This is the first time in 15 years since former Secretary General Lee Young-hoe in 2006 that a Korean has reached the highest level at ADB.

The newly appointed Secretary General Um is an expert in international development who has worked at ADB for over 27 years. He has been responsible for tasks such as overcoming the COVID-19 crisis and responding to climate change.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance stated, "This appointment as Secretary General is the result of active support from the government, including Deputy Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki."

Deputy Prime Minister Hong held two meetings last year with Masatsugu Asakawa, President of ADB. Our government provided emergency COVID-19 support worth 2 million dollars through ADB.

Meanwhile, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) plans to appoint Kim Heon, former Director General of South Asia at ADB, as Director General of Social Infrastructure Investment next month.

The newly established position of Director General of Social Infrastructure Investment is responsible for investments in social infrastructure sectors such as health, medical care, and education, which are among the five core infrastructures selected by AIIB.

Among the 27 senior officials at the director level or higher within AIIB, the number of Koreans will increase to two. Among the total professional staff (322), the number of Koreans will also increase from 17 to 18 (5.6%).

Deputy Prime Minister Hong evaluated on his social media (SNS), "The consecutive appointments of Koreans to senior positions in international financial institutions are even more meaningful as they will strengthen Korea's status as a global leader and serve as a foundation for Korea to leap forward as a soft power nation."

He added, "We will further strengthen efforts to support overseas expansion, such as expanding official development assistance (ODA) cooperation projects and supporting recruitment in international financial institutions for our companies and youth."

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