Dr. Wi Gyu-jin Appointed Chair of the Asia-Pacific Preparatory Group for the World Radiocommunication Conference

Dr. Wi Gyu-jin

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] Dr. Wi Gyu-jin has been elected as the chairperson of the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Group (APG-23) of the World Radiocommunication Conference.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 27th that a Korean expert was elected to the chairmanship at the APG-23 meeting of the World Radiocommunication Conference held online from the 24th to 25th.

Dr. Wi Gyu-jin was elected as the chairperson of the general assembly, and Im Jae-woo, a researcher at the National Radio Research Agency, was elected as the chairperson of the Working Party (WP) on mobile communications for a four-year term. Since 1995, Dr. Wi has participated in the World Radiocommunication Conference as a domestic representative, continuously working to secure Korea's radio usage rights, and was re-elected as APG chairperson this time following his initial election in 2016.

APG is an organization under the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) established to efficiently respond to the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), held every four years, by coordinating and forming common opinions among 38 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

This meeting was the first of six total meetings held to operate APG until 2023, deciding on the necessary organization, chairmanship, and work plans to manage APG over the next four years. The general assembly organization consists of four members: one chairperson, two vice-chairpersons, and one editorial chairperson. The working parties are divided into five fields as before, and if necessary, operate under a co-chair system.

Additionally, over the next four years, agenda groups (DG) corresponding to the 23 agenda items of WRC-23 will be organized under the working parties, with radio experts from each country participating to continue professional and in-depth discussions.

Oh Yong-soo, Director of the Radio Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “Korea’s election to the APG-23 chairmanship reflects the country’s enhanced wireless communication technology competitiveness and leadership, such as being the world’s first to commercialize 5G mobile communications.” He added, “Based on leadership in the Asia-Pacific region, Korea is expected to maximize its national interests on the international stage and further strengthen its influence in the field of radiocommunications. The government will continue to expand support to achieve this.”