1. At the 21st session of the General Assembly of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which is under way in Medellin, Colombia, from September 12 through 17, the Republic of Korea was re-elected on September 16, local time, to serve a four-year term as a member of the Executive Council of the UNWTO.

◦ Among the 17 countries elected to the UNWTO Executive Council, the ROK was elected by consensus (without a vote) to serve on the body for the fourth consecutive time since it started to work on the body in 2004.

2. The ROK, after expressing about a year ago its intent to run in the election, worked to enhance its standing in the UNWTO through active participation in the UNWTO’s activities, including those of its Executive Council. Furthermore, during the ongoing UNWTO General Assembly meeting, the ROK carried out an active campaign, which promoted the UNWTO member states to positively assess the ROK’s standing in the field of international cooperation on tourism, leading the country to be elected to the UNWTO Executive Council by consensus.

◦ The ROK’s government delegation, led by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jong-deok and Ambassador to Colombia Jang Myung-soo, delivered a presentation on the ROK’s experience of responding swiftly to the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) through private-public cooperation and thereby expediting the restoration of the country’s tourism industry on track; explained to and shared with UNWTO member countries the ROK’s effective system for cooperation between its tourism and air service industries; and held bilateral meetings with China, Thailand and Colombia to discuss ways to cooperate on tourism with the countries.

3. The UNWTO is a specialized UN agency whose purpose is to contribute to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and human rights through the promotion and development of tourism. Its Executive Council implements decisions made by the UNWTO General Assembly; makes and submits budget proposals to the General Assembly; and conducts prior reviews of the general plan of activities that would be referred to the General Assembly.

◦ The UNWTO is a specialized UN agency with 158 member states. The ROK has been serving as a member country of the organization since the founding of the UNWTO in 1975.


* unofficial translation