Impact Player: Lim Ki-tack
Lim Ki-tack By Alicia Lee Who is he? Lim Ki-tack was elected as the new Secretary-General for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) after an election held in London on June 30, 2015. Previously, Lim had been the president of Busan Port Authority since June 2012. Prior to his position at the Busan Port Authority, he was the Commissioner of the Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal (2011 – 2012). He served as Director General for Maritime Safety Policy Bureau at the Headquarters of the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) (2009 – 2011) and led the South Korean delegation to the IMO Assembly in 2009. From 2006 to 2009, he was the Maritime Attaché, MinisterCounsellor at the Embassy of Republic of Korea in London and led all IMO-related work for South Korea, serving as Deputy Permanent Representative to IMO. He has also served as Chairman of the Tokyo Memorandum on Port State Control (2004) and Chairman of the SubCommittee on Flag State Implementation (2002-2004). Lim’s maritime career began when he joined the Korea Maritime and Port Administration in 1985, and he was part of the South Korean delegation to the IMO in 1986. He majored in nautical science at the Korea Maritime and Ocean University, and received a master’s degree from Yonsei University and a master’s degree in navigation from the World Maritime University.
Why has he been in the news? The IMO Council announced on July 3, 2015 that Lim Ki-tack has been chosen as the Secretary-General of IMO. His term will begin on January 1, 2016 for an initial term of four years, replacing incumbent Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu. With his strong action plan and credentials, Lim beat out five other candidates from Russia, Denmark, Philippines, Kenya, and Cyprus for the position. Once he assumes office, he will be the first South Korean to be elected as president of an international organization within the UN system since 2006. On July 8, Lim met with President Park Geun-hye at the Blue House, where she asked her officials to assist Lim in becoming a “perfect secretary general,” and stated that his election will enhance South Korea’s international standing as a key maritime power.
What can we expect from him? Lim Ki-tack brings a wealth of maritime experience and leadership capability to the table, drawing from his knowledge and expertise of his 30-year career in the port and shipping industries, his knowledge and expertise is unquestioned. As the new Secretary-General, Lim will be tasked to implement IMO standards, minimize the financial burden for Member States’ sea operations, enhance capacity building, and facilitate effective global implementation. During his campaign, Lim promised to bridge the gap between developing and developed nations, increase technical cooperation fund for enhanced capacity building, promote the mission of IMO on the world stage, create an efficient Secretariat, and increase efforts to minimize the “human error” that is responsible for 90% of maritime accidents. Korea Chair Impact Players is made possible by the support of United Airlines. The views expressed in Impact Players do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor or its affiliates. Impact Players is a product by the CSIS Korea Chair to inform audiences about key policy makers in issue areas of importance to US-Korea relations. All views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s). Photo Credit: International Maritime Organization Flickr’s Photostream
Why has he been in the news? The IMO Council announced on July 3, 2015 that Lim Ki-tack has been chosen as the Secretary-General of IMO. His term will begin on January 1, 2016 for an initial term of four years, replacing incumbent Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu. With his strong action plan and credentials, Lim beat out five other candidates from Russia, Denmark, Philippines, Kenya, and Cyprus for the position. Once he assumes office, he will be the first South Korean to be elected as president of an international organization within the UN system since 2006. On July 8, Lim met with President Park Geun-hye at the Blue House, where she asked her officials to assist Lim in becoming a “perfect secretary general,” and stated that his election will enhance South Korea’s international standing as a key maritime power.
What can we expect from him? Lim Ki-tack brings a wealth of maritime experience and leadership capability to the table, drawing from his knowledge and expertise of his 30-year career in the port and shipping industries, his knowledge and expertise is unquestioned. As the new Secretary-General, Lim will be tasked to implement IMO standards, minimize the financial burden for Member States’ sea operations, enhance capacity building, and facilitate effective global implementation. During his campaign, Lim promised to bridge the gap between developing and developed nations, increase technical cooperation fund for enhanced capacity building, promote the mission of IMO on the world stage, create an efficient Secretariat, and increase efforts to minimize the “human error” that is responsible for 90% of maritime accidents. Korea Chair Impact Players is made possible by the support of United Airlines. The views expressed in Impact Players do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor or its affiliates. Impact Players is a product by the CSIS Korea Chair to inform audiences about key policy makers in issue areas of importance to US-Korea relations. All views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s). Photo Credit: International Maritime Organization Flickr’s Photostream
