TPO Secretary-General: WOO Kyoung-ha

Ambassador WOO took office in December 2021 as Secretary General of Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities, Busan, Korea. Prior to that, he was an Advisor to the Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City in the capacity of Ambassador for International Relations, seconded from the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, Korea.

Ambassador Woo served as a career diplomat for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea for 35 years from 1986 to 2021. His last foreign post was Korean Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Commonwealth of Australia (Canberra) from 2016 to 2018.

From 2013 to 2016, Woo was on secondment to the Office of the President (CHEONG WA DAE or Blue House) of the Republic of Korea, where he served as the Protocol Secretary (Presidential Chief of Protocol). He was responsible for planning and coordinating virtually all domestic and international activities of the President.

As Director General for Bilateral Trade of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2011 to 2013, he was in charge of Korea’s bilateral trade issues with the US, the EU, China and Japan. In 2010, as Director General for Protocol of the Presidential Committee for the G20 Seoul Summit held in November 2010, he orchestrated Korea’s hosting of the global event. From 2008 to 2010, Woo was Minister Counsellor for economic affairs at the Korean Embassy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As Counsellor of the Korean Permanent Delegation to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 2006-2008) in Paris, he focused on trade-related issues.

When Korea was the Chair for the APEC Summit in 2005 in Busan, Woo served as Director for the APEC Division (2003-2006). He coordinated consultations on key issues among the 21 APEC members. While serving in the ROK Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO, 1999-2001) in Geneva, Switzerland, he took part in the majority of multilateral trade talks, including the 2001 WTO DDA (Doha Development Agenda).

Woo started his foreign service career as Second Secretary of the Economic Section of the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C. in 1991. He also served as First Secretary of the Korean Embassy in Senegal (1994-1996). Woo joined the Korean Foreign Ministry in 1986.