Korean elected as president of executive body at World Meteorological Organization

Administrator of Korea Meteorological Administration Yoo Hee-dong participates in the World Meteorological Congress in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of Korea Meteorological Administration

By Ko Dong-hwan

Yoo Hee-dong, administrator of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), was chosen as the chief of the Executive Council of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

This is the fifth time since 2007 that Korea's representative to the organization was selected for the position.

The 19th World Meteorological Congress in Geneva saw Yoo elected to a four-year term.

Starting next year, Yoo will lead the WMO's executive committee, which consists of representatives from 37 countries, overseeing the organization's scientific technology program management and budgetary decisions.

Yoo was chosen by a consensus from among the WMO's Asian representatives, which found no need for a vote, according to the KMA, Friday.

The consensus derives from Korea's global reputation based on its dramatic rise from a war-torn, poverty-stricken country to an advanced nation with world-leading technologies in various fields including satellite-based weather forecasting, the Korean authority said.

Argentina's Celeste Saulo poses after she was elected as the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization during the 19th World Meteorological Congress in Geneva, Thursday (local time). AP-Yonhap

In particular, the KMA's international role stood out amid the climate crisis as the Korean authority contributed to the United Nations' initiative to introduce an improved global weather forecasting system, according to the KMA. The Seoul-based authority helped the global alliance shape decisions and design policies to forewarn countries of imminent natural disasters as early and precisely as possible, the authority said.

“International efforts to respond to the global climate crisis have never been more passionate,” Yoo said following his appointment at the congress that started on May 22 and ended Friday. “As one of the world meteorological leaders and chief of the WMO Executive Council, I will be in charge of forward facilitating global cooperation.”

Yoo's appointment came when the quadrennial WMO congress with 193 members elected Celeste Saulo of Argentina as the organization's new secretary-general. The professor has become the first female in WMO history to head the organization.

The congress also elected Abdulla Al Mandous of the United Arab Emirates as the next WMO president. He is the permanent representative of the UAE to the WMO since 2008 and president of the WMO Regional Association for Asia since 2017.