Korea was successfully re-elected as a council member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- Elected as a council member (Part 3) at the ICAO’s 41st Assembly & One step closer to an aviation powerhouse
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT, Minister WON Hee-Ryong) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, Minister PARK Jin) announced that Korea was re-elected as the council member at the 41st International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly held in Montreal, Canada and will serve another 8th term for the next three years
At 14:00 (local time) on 4 October, Korea won a total of 151 votes out of 175 countries participating in the voting in the election of council members (Part 3), and succeeded in re-election reaffirming the trust of the ICAO member countries and our status as an aviation powerhouse.
* Council member countries elected in Part 3: UAE (161 votes), Qatar (160 votes), Ethiopia (154 votes), S. Korea (151 votes), Ghana (150 votes), Jamaica (149 votes), Zimbabwe (148 votes), Chile (146 votes), Equatorial Guinea (145 votes), Mauritania (143 votes), Bolivia (138 votes), Rumania (138 votes), Malaysia (136 votes), El Salvador (132 votes)
** The number of votes cast in Korea in the past: 109 votes in the year of ‘01, 125 votes in '04, 124 votes in '07, 141 votes in '10, 156 votes in '13, 146 votes in '16, 164 votes in '19
Despite COVID-19 pandemic, Korea carried out all-round activities (participating and holding international aviation-related conferences* as well as negotiating for support through diplomatic offices abroad) for reappointment as the council member.
* Participated in the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission Assembly (March ‘22, Montevideo, Uruguay), Held the DGCA 57 Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation and the Conference on International Air Transport Cooperation 2022 (July ’22, Inchoen).
In particular, the delegation from private and public sectors (Chief Representative, Minister WON of the MOLIT) composed of government agencies such as the MOLIT and the MOFA along with aviation-related organizations including airport corporations and airlines was dispatched to Montreal to keep in touch with representatives from each member country one-by-one through interviews or various receptions for their support until the last minute.
In addition, on the evening of 3 October, the day before the election, numerous delegations attended the reception of 'Korea Night' held exclusively by S. Korea, watched a promotional video showing our contribution to the international civil aviation industry, and enjoyed performances exhibiting traditional and modern cultures which were prepared with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. These events were held with great success to be a place to justify our re-election as the member of ICAO Council.
ICAO is a specialized UN organization established in 1947 for the orderly development of international civil aviation after World War II, and Korea joined in 1952.
ICAO decides policies and international standards related to the entire international civil aviation industry, including aircraft manufacturing, transportation, and control, and provides guidelines for implementation.
In particular, the ICAO Council is composed of representatives of 36 member countries elected at the assembly held every three years, and decides and supervises the implementation of aviation policies decided at the assembly, adopts the enactment and amendment of international standards in the aviation industry, and makes the arbitration and mediation of international aviation disputes, thereby serving as the de facto decision-making body of ICAO, which has legislative, judicial, and administrative powers.
※ The members of the ICAO Council are elected in 3 parts: Part 1 (Major aviation countries), Part 2 (Major countries contributing to navigation facilities) and Part 3 (Geographical representative countries). After election, they work regardless of the part where they belong.
Since its first election as a council member in 2001, S. Korea has been active in fulfilling its responsibilities as a council member, such as providing free education and training in the aviation industry to developing countries around the world, dispatching Korean experts to the ICAO secretariat, and developing and distributing safety management software. Korea decided to participate in the digital transformation project in the near future to modernize the administrative system of ICAO.
Through the re-election as a member of the ICAO Council for 8 consecutive terms, Korea reaffirms the recognition and trust of the member countries of ICAO Council for S. Korea's contribution to the development of the international civil aviation sector.
The S. Korean government will continue to support the improvement of global aviation safety and security level and actively participate in ICAO-level efforts such as the decarbonization of the aviation industry and the preparation of international standards related to advanced aviation technology, thereby leading the development of international civil aviation, and making our efforts to strengthen our competitiveness in the international civil aviation industry.
Please refer to the attached PDF.