Appealing for Support by Meeting with Ministers from Over 20 Countries and More Than 100 WTO Ambassadors
Yoo Myung-hee, Chief Trade Negotiator of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, who advanced to the final round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General election, is seen conversing with attendees at a reception she hosted on the 16th (local time) at the InterContinental Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, inviting ambassadors from various countries stationed in Geneva. (Photo by Yonhap News)
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 24th that Yoo Myung-hee, the Chief Negotiator for Trade, conducted a final all-out campaign in Europe in preparation for the final runoff preference survey for the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
From the 13th to the 23rd, Chief Negotiator Yoo traveled between Geneva, Switzerland, where the WTO headquarters is located, London, UK, and Brussels, Belgium, engaging in support negotiation activities. In particular, since her candidacy in June, she has visited Geneva four times alone.
In Geneva, Chief Negotiator Yoo met with ministerial-level officials from about 20 countries and held individual meetings. Through two receptions, she met with over 100 WTO ambassadors stationed in Geneva. She emphasized her expertise in trade and the feasibility of realizing WTO reform based on it, appealing for support.
On the 19th in London, she had a face-to-face meeting with Elizabeth Truss, the UK Secretary of State for International Trade, requesting active support for the successful reform of the WTO as a like-minded country supporting the multilateral free trade system.
In Brussels on the 20th, she met with Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Union (EU) Executive Vice-President in charge of trade, and had in-depth discussions on current WTO issues.
Chief Negotiator Yoo emphasized that she is a prepared and qualified candidate with trade expertise who can work immediately from day one to normalize the WTO, which is in crisis, and requested EU-level support.
After returning to Geneva, she continued meetings with ministers from about ten countries, putting all her efforts into last-minute support negotiations.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated that many member countries contacted during this visit agreed that a candidate with proven capabilities is needed to resolve the current WTO issues and to lead major countries to actively participate in discussions, and that candidate Yoo is the right person.
An official from the ministry said, "It is evaluated that a broad support base across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Africa has been secured ahead of the final runoff conclusion."
The final runoff preference survey for the WTO Director-General election will be conducted until the 27th. The final candidate is expected to be decided through consultations among member countries by the 7th of next month.
The specific schedule for the announcement of the final results and subsequent steps will be announced by David Walker, Chair of the WTO General Council, after consultations with member countries.
Currently, the final runoff for the WTO Director-General includes our country's Chief Negotiator Yoo and Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
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