By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon has been named chairperson of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific, a regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region.
Kim's appointment was announced Monday at the 64th Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) conference, currently being held at the United Nations regional headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand.
This is the second time that a South Korean has been named chairperson of the group. In 1991, at the 47th ESCAP conference (held in Seoul), then-Foreign Minister Lee Sang-ok was appointed to the seat.
Kim, 55, began his government service as a career diplomat after passing the civil examination in 1974. In the 1990s, he was a councilor at the Korean Embassy in Washington and also worked at the Consul General in San Francisco in 2002.
During his stay in the United States, Kim took part in negotiations over various export issues, honing his skill as a negotiator.
At the current meeting, senior government officials, business leaders and civil society representatives from the Asian and Pacific region are meeting to discuss ways to improve energy security by emphasizing regional and public-private cooperation. ESCAP says the issue has taken on new importance given recent record-breaking oil prices.