[ad_1]
▲ On the morning of the 12th, Yu Myung-hee, head of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, speaks at the election support meeting of the WTO Secretary-General in the small meeting room of the Yeomin Hall of the Blue House. | |
Ⓒ Yonhap News |
See related photos |
These days, President Moon Jae-in is busy calling out foreign leaders whenever he can. Until the 22nd I spoke with the leaders of up to 13 countries. This is to request support for the head of the Trade and Negotiation Headquarters Myung-hee Myung-hee, who entered the elections for the Secretary General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
If the phone doesn’t work, even send a letter to visit. Then, for German Chancellor Merkel, “Korea’s candidate Myung-hee Myung-hee is considered the right person with skills and experience.”
The same goes for Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa. In the press releases section of the home page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the results of a call with the foreign ministers of the European countries, whose headquarters are currently lower, are published one after another. On the 20th, three phone calls a day are the basics, like back-to-back calls with the Foreign Ministers of Austria, Poland and Denmark.
Vice Foreign Minister Seo Jong-gun also recently held meetings with each country’s ambassadors to Korea, one after another, asking for support for Director Yoo. Former Ambassador Choi Seok-young, former diplomat and WTO expert, has been appointed special envoy and is in charge of negotiations with Europe and the United States.
The government will do everything possible to elect Kim Sang-jo, head of the Blue House, as the leader of the TF team, elect the secretary general of the WTO and mobilize not only the Blue House and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also the Prime Minister, the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Equipment and Materials, etc. South Korea’s choice for WTO secretary-general was due to the sudden resignation of Brazilian President Roberto Azevedo in August before his one-year term.
Although I heard personal reasons, many see it as a result of not being defeated by the US Trump regime, which criticized the WTO’s tendency to be pro-friendship amid the increasingly intensifying trade dispute between the United States and the United States. China. In such a situation, Korea presented a card called Myung-hee Myung-hee to challenge herself and produce Korea’s first female WTO secretary general.
The Moon Jae-in administration desperately clings to the Myeong-hee card, which is also classified as a former member of the government, intending to become the leading role in reorganizing the world trade order by producing the head of the WTO in amid the decline of the United States and the rise of China. On the other hand, there is the interpretation that President Moon’s confidence in the appointment of Ban Ki-moon as general secretary in 2006 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration also played a role. In a word, we will achieve the glory of ‘Again 2006’ once again.
Significantly overcome early inferiority … US presidential election results are afterthoughts
▲ President Moon Jae-in chairs the election support meeting of the WTO Secretary General held in the small meeting room of the Blue House Yeomin Hall on the morning of the 12th. | |
Ⓒ Youngsik Koo |
See related photos |
What is the probability that Myung-hee Lee will be chosen? The analysis of foreign media, government officials and experts is not very easy. This is because candidate Ngoji Okonzo-Iwella, who is also a woman and a former Nigerian finance minister and a former senior at the World Bank, is having a difficult time.
Last 21 days <블룸버그통신>He reported that Europe and the United States were divided on the candidates for support in this election. While the European Union (EU) supports candidate Okonzo-Iwella, the United States favors candidate Yu Myung-hee. Furthermore, China, Brazil and India considered that the candidates for support were unclear.
The EU’s support for candidate Okonzo-Iwella appears to be due to the emotional ties of European countries that have traditionally had many colonies in Africa. In addition, it basically has the support of 55 countries of the African Union (AU) and Caribbean countries. It recently declared that it has already obtained votes from 79 of the 163 member states of the WTO, almost half.
On the other hand, in the case of the United States, it was analyzed that in the case of the United States, he favored Candidate Yoo, who has expanded the field of trade in Korea through bilateral negotiations with China, the EU, the United Kingdom and United States for the past 25 years, as well as his career at the helm of the trade negotiation headquarters. In particular, he is highly valued for the bargaining power demonstrated during trade negotiations with the United States in the early days of the Trump regime.
The government also frankly admits that candidate Yoo started out inferior. However, he is admitted to have significantly narrowed the gap through persistent persecution.
On the 23rd, a foreign ministry official told reporters: “They may have thought that the opponent’s candidate was so famous that he would win without difficulty.” And “even if I lose, I will do my best to show national strength.”
The official said: “Because the WTO election method is not a voting method, but a consensus method (all consensus), it is important to catch the trend.” He also cited the US presidential elections as the last variable. In other words, the Trump regime is usually friendly to candidate Yoo, but if the government changes, there is a good chance that it will change positions.
International trade lawyer Ki-ho Song (Suryun Asia law firm) made a different decision by citing the US presidential election as a big variable. Song lawyer said: “If Trump is elected, it will be advantageous to the other side because the EU, Africa and China to maintain the WTO will be able to be in solidarity. I think that a soft candidate, Yoo, can be advantageous.”
“A great benefit for Korea, where trade accounts for a large proportion”
On the other hand, when the candidate Myung-hee Myung-hee was chosen, they both positively evaluated the impact on Korea.
A Foreign Ministry official said: “The WTO Secretary-General should play a role in reaching trade agreements in each country, but Koreans cannot make a biased decision for us. This is a particularly important position for us. , where trade occupies a large proportion. I’m going to. “
Lawyer Song also said, “It cannot be helpful in individual matters, but if we manage the unstable international business environment in a stable manner, it will not be of great benefit to us.”
Will I be able to see a Korean secretary general for the first time in the history of the WTO? The conclusion is made on the 7th of next month.