On the morning of Wednesday, October 29, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina met with Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), who was visiting the Republic of Korea on the occasion of the APEC CEO Summit and the APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM). During the meeting, they discussed (i) ways to enhance cooperation between Korea and the OECD, and (ii) the need to increase the representation of Korean nationals in the OECD.

※ The Republic of Korea joined the OECD in 1996 as its 29th member country.

Vice Minister Kim congratulated Secretary-General Cormann on the decision made by the OECD Council in July 2025 to extend his term through 2031. She also commended his contributions to strengthening the OECD’s external cooperation, particularly with the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asian regions, which are of high priority to the Korean government, and encouraged him to continue such efforts.

In addition, Vice Minister Kim expressed her appreciation for the OECD’s active participation throughout the year in various consultative processes in support of the successful hosting of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting this year. She noted that Secretary-General Cormann’s participation in the APEC CEO Summit and the APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM) would further deepen APEC-related discussions.

Meanwhile, Vice Minister Kim noted that, in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Korea’s accession to the OECD, as well as Korea’s assumption of the role of Vice-Chair of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) next year, Korea plans to contribute actively to discussions on the formation of international norms within the OECD. She stated that Korea will particularly share its experiences in areas of interest, such as digital and AI technologies, responding to demographic changes, and energy transition, including the expansion of renewable energy.

Finally, Vice Minister Kim explained that expanding the presence of Korean nationals within the OECD, consistent with Korea’s level of contribution (ranked 8th among all member countries), is a key priority for the Korean government. She requested the Secretary-General’s special attention to ensuring greater representation of Korean nationals not only in entry- and mid-level professional positions, where many young people begin their careers, but also in senior-level positions of the OECD.

The meeting is assessed as having contributed to strengthening cooperation between Korea and the OECD and to Korea’s proactive participation in discussions on international norm-setting led by the OECD. Going forward, the Korean government will continue its efforts to further enhance Korea–OECD cooperation by actively leveraging opportunities such as the 30th anniversary of Korea’s accession to the OECD next year.