Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo visited Geneva, Switzerland through February 9-10 and met with various counterparts to discuss measures for strengthening the multilateral trade order.
Minister Yeo met with International Trade Center Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton and discussed prospects for cooperation in training up trade personnel. The meeting was followed by an online trade specialist session together with a local international trade law professor at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations and the other International Organizations in Geneva, where they discussed WTO reform measures and restoration of multilateralism.
The same day, Korea’s trade chief visited the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) office in Geneva and met with UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan and discussed measures for expanding programs to assist the capacity building process of developing countries in recognition of Korea’s own trade-based development history.
On the second day of the two-day trip, the Minister held talks with World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on COVID-19 response, major trade issues, and expansion of Korean presence at the WTO Secretariat. He also met with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) President Ulrika Francke and discussed ways to incorporate emerging technology and its impact into international standards. Additional talks covered stronger Korea-ISO cooperation in areas of digital, public health, and carbon neutrality.
Source: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy