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Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha gives a special lecture at Ewha Womans University on Sept. 10, 2021. (Yonhap News)

Kang Kyung-wha, former Minister of Foreign Affairs for South Korea, announced her candidacy for director-general of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Friday. Kang pledged to help developing countries build their economies and promote dialogue between organized labor, big business and governments.

Kang’s campaign platform on the ILO’s website included supporting the restructuring of industries for the climate crisis, promoting tripartite dialogue to aid those efforts, and expanding social security programs to cover platform workers.

Kang also said she would expand technological cooperation projects for developing countries that have been greatly impacted by the pandemic and work to improve the employment situation in participating countries.

As a specialized agency of the UN, the ILO has had ten director generals since it was established in 1919. Until the election of Guy Ryder, with his background in British trade unionism, in 2012, most of the ILO’s director generals had been lawyers or staff of UN agencies.

Director-generals are elected to a term of five years, which can be renewed pending review by the board of directors.

Kang is one of four people who seek to replace Ryder when his term ends in October 2022. Another candidate is Greg Vines, of Australia, who is currently serving as the ILO’s deputy director-general.

Kang’s bid has symbolic resonance because she would be the first female director-general from the Asia-Pacific region. But thus far, Vines is regarded as having the most expertise on labor matters.

By Shin Da-eun, staff reporter

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