Kim Young-tae Effectively Confirmed for Reappointment as Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum

Voting Results of 63 Member States' Governing Board: Unanimous Approval by 40 Participating Countries
If Final Decision is Made at Ministerial Meeting in May Next Year, First Case of ITF Secretary-General Reappointment

Kim Young-tae, Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum (ITF) / Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 29th that at the 34th Management Board (Working Committee) meeting of the International Transport Forum (ITF) held in Rabat, Morocco on the 28th local time, there was unanimous support from all 40 participating countries out of 63 member countries for the reappointment of the current Secretary-General Kim Young-tae.

The International Transport Forum, which leads global discourse in all transportation sectors, is an intergovernmental organization expanded and reorganized in 2006 from the European Conference of Ministers of Transport established in 1953. South Korea joined as a full member in 2007, and since 2017, Secretary-General Kim Young-tae (ministerial level) has been leading the Secretariat.

Secretary-General Kim, who was elected as the first non-European Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum, is expected to become the first case to successfully secure reappointment with the support of member countries since the 2006 expansion and reorganization.

The term of the Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum is five years. Kim’s first term is scheduled to end in August next year, but his reappointment is expected to be confirmed based on this voting result.

During his first term, Secretary-General Kim has been praised for expanding the Forum’s base by attracting non-European countries such as Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Colombia as member countries, transforming the International Transport Forum from a Europe-centered organization into a truly global transport organization.

Meanwhile, he has contributed to enabling South Korea to play a central role in shaping international transport agendas by actively introducing various domestic transport policies to the international community, including Korea’s future mobility policy, autonomous vehicle policy, and public transportation policies such as the Altteul Transportation Card. In August, he also discussed ways to strengthen Korea’s international status in the transport sector with Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Noh Hyung-wook.

Oh Myung-so, Director General of the Transport and Logistics Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has closely cooperated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minister Chung Eui-yong) and the Korean Mission to the OECD (Ambassador Ko Hyung-kwon) to support the Secretary-General’s activities and actively negotiate support from member countries for Kim Young-tae’s reappointment.” He emphasized, “This is the first case of reappointment of a Secretary-General since the establishment of the International Transport Forum,” and added, “We will continue to cooperate with the international community to strengthen Korea’s status in the transport sector.”

The final approval of Secretary-General Kim’s reappointment is expected to be confirmed at the Transport Ministers’ Meeting scheduled to be held in Leipzig, Germany in May next year.

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