1. The Korean government welcomes that former Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has been officially selected as the new Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on March 15 (local time).

2. The Korean government expects the selection of a new Secretary-General from the Asia-Pacific region to contribute to enhancing the OECD’s diversity, and hopes that under the leadership of Mr. Cormann, cooperation within the OECD and solidarity with the international community would be strengthened in responding to COVID-19-related economic crisis, climate change, and the digital transformation.

3. The Korean government, which celebrates the 25^th anniversary of its accession to the OECD this year, will continue to support the role of OECD together with the member states, under the leadership of the new Secretary-General which starts in June.