South Korea Elected to International Maritime Organization Council for 11 Consecutive Years

Scheduled to Serve as Director for 32 Years Since 1991

(London=Yonhap News) South Korea was elected as a top-tier council member for the 11th consecutive time at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Assembly held on the 10th (local time). Ambassador Kim Geon, the Korean Ambassador to the UK and Permanent Representative to the IMO, is attending the meeting. [Provided by the Korean Embassy in the UK and the Korean Permanent Mission to the IMO. Redistribution and DB prohibited]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] South Korea has been elected as a member of the highest-level group of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Board of Directors for the 11th consecutive time. This marks 32 years of activity as a board member.

On the 10th (local time), the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced that South Korea was elected as a board member of Group A (major shipping countries) at the 32nd Assembly held at the IMO headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

The International Maritime Organization is a specialized agency under the United Nations (UN) that promotes the establishment, revision, and implementation of international regulations related to maritime safety and marine environmental protection. It consists of 175 full members and 3 associate members.

The Board of Directors discusses overall organizational operations such as the election of the Secretary-General, the organization's budget, and work plans for the establishment and revision of international conventions. It is composed of Group A (10 major shipping countries), Group B (10 major cargo owner countries), and Group C (20 regional representative countries). Elections for board members are held every two years. In this election, besides South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Greece, China, Norway, Italy, Russia, and Panama were elected as Group A board members.

South Korea joined the International Maritime Organization in 1962. After first entering the Group C board in 1991, it was reappointed five times. In 2001, South Korea was elected as a Group A board member for the first time. This term lasts until 2023, and in July, the government established the IMO delegation and assigned the embassy in the United Kingdom to concurrently manage it.

Kim Gun, Ambassador to the United Kingdom and head of the IMO delegation, said, "It is significant that we were elected with overwhelming support from member countries in the first board election since the establishment of the IMO delegation." He added, "We will actively participate in measures to reduce ship greenhouse gas emissions and the establishment of regulations for autonomous ships to further enhance South Korea's status in the international maritime field."

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