The Seventh World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference was held from November 30 to December 2, 2009, in Geneva, Switzerland, under the theme of “The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment.”

About 3,000 delegates representing all 153 WTO Members, the 56 observers, NGOs and international organizations participated in the Conference. Representing Korea were
Minister for Trade Kim Jong-Hoon as head of delegation (Alternate Head: Vice Minister  Ha Young-je of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) and related ministry officials.

※ History of the WTO Ministerial Conference: first meeting (Singapore, 1996), second meeting (Geneva, Switzerland, 1998), third meeting (Seattle, USA, 1999), fourth meeting (Doha, Qatar, 2001), fifth meeting (Cancun, Mexico, 2003), sixth meeting (Hong Kong, 2005)

Participating ministers of WTO Members, including Korea, emphasized the need for an early conclusion of the DDA negotiations for the recovery of the global economy and to strengthen the role of the WTO as a multilateral trading system. They also agreed to cooperate more closely to achieve the common aim of sustainable economic development.

The main points of the Chairman’s Summary are as follows:
 o The need to conclude DDA negotiations by 2010 reaffirmed
 o Stock-taking exercise to take place in the first quarter of next year
 o Instructing Senior Officials to continue to work to map the road towards the
    stock-taking exercise

Furthermore, Ministers agreed to extend the moratorium on non-violation complaints under the TRIPS Agreement and to maintain current practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions until the Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference and also decided to hold the next conference at the end of 2011.

At the plenary session, Minister for Trade Kim Jong-Hoon stated that, as the host country of the G20 Summit in November 2010, Korea will exert its utmost efforts for the early conclusion of the DDA negotiations in 2010. The Minister also emphasized the need for the DDA negotiations to a “balanced outcome that properly reflects the political and economic sensitivities of each Member country.”

In addition, the Trade Minister highly noted the WTO’s “effective role in keeping protectionism at bay,” and requested for the WTO to strengthen its role in the ever-changing world of globalization and to contribute to sustainable economic development.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of the Ministerial Conference, the Trade Minister had bilateral meetings to discuss outstanding trade issues with the ministers of various countries, including Canada, Turkey and India. The Trade Minister also participated in the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) meeting to raise the effectiveness in supporting the trade developments of the least-developed countries. He also attended the luncheons and dinners hosted by the EU, Japan and Singapore to discuss the progress of the DDA negotiations with WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy and the trade ministers of other countries.