Candidate Yoo Gains Support from USTR Representative and Others... Candidate Ngcozi Expected to Receive EU Backing
President Moon Jae-in, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, and Minister Kang Kyung-wha Request Support for Candidate Yoo
[Asia Economy Reporters Lim Cheol-young and Jung Hyun-jin] As the election for the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) approaches its final stage, the race is tightening into a dead heat with the United States and the European Union (EU) backing different candidates. Following President Moon Jae-in’s three separate calls in one day to request support for Yoo Myung-hee, the Director-General for Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha have also been actively providing support by holding calls with various heads of state and foreign ministers.
On the 20th, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that while the U.S. supports Director-General Yoo, the EU backs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian Minister of Finance. The two candidates, confirmed as finalists, are busily working behind the scenes to garner support from member countries.
Both candidates were confirmed as finalists on the 8th and are competing for the position of the WTO’s first female Director-General. The WTO plans to conduct a preference survey by the 27th of this month and elect the next Director-General by the 7th of next month. The Director-General is elected by consensus among the 164 member countries based on the preference survey results. Among the 164 member countries, few have clearly stated their positions, and it remains unclear where major economic powers such as China, Brazil, and India will direct their support.
The camp supporting Director-General Yoo reportedly includes Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), known as a WTO skeptic. It is observed that Lighthizer supports Yoo, who has experience as a trade expert negotiating with the U.S., China, the EU, and the UK. There is also a rumor that during the renegotiation of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Lighthizer, who sat across the table from Director-General Yoo, recognized her capabilities and jokingly offered her a seat. Additionally, the fact that former World Bank (WB) President Robert Zoellick, who is pro-international trade, is acquainted with former Minister Okonjo-Iweala is also analyzed as a background for Lighthizer’s support of Yoo.
On the other hand, the EU’s votes are reportedly leaning toward candidate Okonjo-Iweala. The EU plays a crucial role in the Director-General election as it can influence the votes of its 27 member states. Bloomberg explained that the failure of Amina Mohamed, former Chair of the WTO General Council from Kenya and initially a strong candidate, to advance to the final round was influenced by the EU’s selection of Director-General Yoo and former Minister Okonjo-Iweala as finalists. Former Minister Okonjo-Iweala also enjoys overwhelming support from the 55 member states of the African Union.
In the final stages of this tight race, the South Korean government is mounting an all-out effort. President Moon held a series of phone calls with the leaders of Luxembourg, Italy, and Egypt in the afternoon of the previous day alone. In particular, during calls with the Prime Ministers of Luxembourg and Italy, President Moon emphasized that "the next WTO Director-General must be a candidate capable of protecting the free trade system and restoring trust in the multilateral trading system through WTO reform."
Prime Minister Chung and Foreign Minister Kang are continuing their support efforts. Last week, Prime Minister Chung sent letters requesting support for Director-General Yoo to the EU, Latin America, and 27 Southeast Asian countries, and on the 19th, he held a 20-minute phone call with Colombian President Iv?n Duque M?rquez. Following this, Foreign Minister Kang held calls with the foreign ministers of Denmark, Poland, and Austria on the previous day to request support for Director-General Yoo.
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