Oh Jee-chul Runs for World Tourism Body
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Oh Jee-chul, president of the Korea Tourism Organization, officially announced Tuesday his bid for the top post at the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
If elected, he will be the second Korean to head a UN organization following the late Lee Jong-wook, who headed the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006.
The election will be held between May 7 and 8 in Mali, with the elected individual having to win approval at the general congress in Kazakhstan in October to start his four-year-term from January 2010.
Oh showed his passion for promoting global tourism through a variety of region-specific programs. ``The organization will provide more practical support, including tailor-made tour programs, for each place, whether it is Africa, Asia or anywhere,'' Oh said.
Among contenders are Taleb Rifai from Jordan, deputy secretary-general, and Khalid Malik from Pakistan, resident coordinator and representative of the United Nations Development Program. But he is confident of winning the election.
``The government has been very supportive of my candidacy and I feel that more and more countries are committed to endorsing my candidacy,'' he said.
The graduate of Seoul National University began his public career at the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in 1977. He was the vice culture minister from 2003 until 2004, chairman of the Korean Cable Television Association in 2006, and became the KTO president in 2007.
UNWTO collects and collates statistical information on international tourism. The organization represents public sector tourism bodies from most countries in the world and the publication of its data makes possible comparisons of the flow and growth of tourism on a global scale.
It is now involved in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, paying particular attention to the interests of developing countries.