PM calls for recovering 'multilateral trading system' in meeting with WTO chief

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, right, meets with World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at Shilla Hotel in central Seoul on Monday. [PRIME MINISTER'S SECRETARIAT]

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met with the visiting head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday, highlighting the importance of recovering the multilateral trading system, according to Han's office.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala arrived in Seoul on Monday for a three-day stay, marking the first visit to Korea by the WTO's top official since 2014.

During the dinner meeting, Han emphasized the crucial role of the WTO in restoring the multilateral trading system amid fast-changing global economic and trade situations, as well as worsening geopolitical conflicts, the office said in a press release.

Han also urged the WTO to take the lead in restoring the global order, promoting international trade, and ensuring stable global supply chains, it said.

Okonjo-Iweala is the seventh director-general of the WTO. She took office in March 2021, becoming the first woman and the first African to serve in the post. Her term of office will end in August 2025, according to her office.

Yonhap