유명희, WTO 사무총장 결선 진출...최종 결과 11월 초에 나올듯<br /><br />The race to the World Trade Organization leadership is now down to the final two candidates.<br />By selecting South Korea's Yoo Myung-hee and Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to advance to the last stage of the selection process, it looks like the Geneva-based trade body will finally get its first female director-general in its 25-year history.<br />The leadership decision comes against the backdrop of the pandemic, a worldwide recession, the U.S.-China battle for trade supremacy and the American election.<br />Yoon Jungmin has more.<br />South Korea's trade minister Yoo Myung-hee has reached the final round of the consultations at the World Trade Organization,... hoping to be the next director-general.<br />The WTO in Geneva officially announced Thursday that Yoo has advanced to the final round of voting along with her contender Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria.<br />The candidates were cut down from five to two during the second round,... which saw the elimination of contenders from Kenya, Saudi Arabia and the UK.<br />Whoever gets the top job will have to steer the multilateral trade body through a series of challenges, such as how to restore its leadership against growing global protectionism and the U.S.-China trade conflict.<br />"The most important elements for the next WTO director-general is the capacity to lead the member countries and mobilize all the members for agreeing to the new direction for the WTO system which is in a huge crisis."<br />Yoo has earned support from the WTO members for her expertise and 25 years of experience,... having led a number of bilateral trade negotiations with other countries, including the U.S. and China.<br />She also gained support for South Korea's successful coronavirus prevention measures.<br />"What's utmost important is the person's, the candidate's competence and capability to save and enhance the WTO and also to take WTO reform."<br />Nigeria's Okonjo-Iweala has experience working on the global stage,... chairing the COVID-19 vaccine alliance GAVI and having served as a managing director of the World Bank.<br />She also has served as her country's finance and foreign affairs minister.<br />"We want peace and security and stability. That is why the WTO is needed, with its ability to arbitrate dispute within members."<br />The WTO is to have the first female chief in its 25 year history.<br />The director-general will be decided by a consensus of WTO members by no later than November 7th.<br />President Moon Jae-in called Yoo Myung-hee on Thursday to congratulate her for reaching the final round and added that she has the government's full support.<br />Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.<br />
