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South Korean Minister for Trade Yoo Myung-hee (left), Seoul’s nominee to serve as the World Trade Organization’s new director-general, and Kim Young-ju, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, attend a conference on international trade at Seoul’s COEX center on July 9. (Yonhap News)

South Korean Minister for Trade Yoo Myung-hee was among the candidates from eight countries who announced their intention to campaign to become the next leader of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The race became even more intense when the United Kingdom fielded a candidate hours before the registration deadline.

The WTO secretariat announced on July 8 that as of the closing of registration for candidates to become the next WTO director-general, applications had been received from eight countries: South Korea, the UK, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Moldova, and Saudi Arabia.

Seoul plans to court member countries aggressively by emphasizing South Korea’s role as a “middle-economy country” and “mediator.” This includes stressing its ability to act as a mediator between the US, China, and Europe, with their sharply differing interests, as well as a middle-economy country in the conflicts between advanced and developing economies. In addition to Yoo’s standing as a trade expert, she is also expected to benefit from a recent wave of attention toward “female leadership.” To date, the WTO has never had a female director-general. But the news site Bloomberg cautioned that the “bitter trade fight” between South Korea and Japan could have a negative impact on her candidacy.

Eight condenders ; three from Africa, two from Europe, two from Asia and one from Mexico

Among the candidates from Africa, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization Chair Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is being viewed as a strong contender. Okonjo-Iweala has a diverse background, having served as the Nigerian finance minister and as a managing director at the World Bank. Reuters observed, “With three of the six previous director-generals coming from Europe and the others from Thailand, Brazil and New Zealand, pressure has been building to choose a leader from Africa.”

A total of 54 African countries are included in the WTO, accounting for roughly one-third of its 164 member states. Three of the candidates represent Africa, including attorney and former Egyptian diplomat Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh and former Kenyan Culture Minister and WTO General Council Chairperson Amina Mohamed.

Also posing a formidable challenge are candidates representing the advanced economies’ side from Europe. Three of the six past WTO directors-general have been European. Liam Fox, the candidate fielded by the UK, served as the secretary of state for international trade in the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Theresa May. But some analysts are predicting the UK will be in for a tough battle winning the support of other European countries after exiting the European Union (EU).

Other candidates include former Moldovan Foreign Minister Tudor Ulianovschi; Mexican senior trade official Jesus Seade; and former Saudi Arabian Minister of Economy and Planning Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri.

Following current WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo’s abrupt announcement in May that he was stepping down with over a year left in his term, the organization launched its effort to elect a new leader. To select a director-general, the candidate preferences of the 164 member countries are surveyed, with those receiving low support progressively eliminated until only one remains. The process typically takes six months, but with Azevedo announcing plans to step down as of late August, procedures are likely to be hasted to minimize the chances of a leadership vacuum.

By Kim So-youn, staff reporter

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