The issues on WTO governance have drawn much attention recently, particularly when an ambitiously launched Doha negotiation turns out to be almost a hopeless failure, or at least a dormant stalemate. In addition to Members’ disagreements on numerous agenda, the systemic problems and drawbacks in the WTO governance itself have been pointed out as important contributing factors for delaying and stalling multilateral trade negotiations. These problems include a wide range of issues such as dispute settlement system, accession process, and roles of civil society.
Despite significant roles in the world trade, Korea has hardly played a role in the WTO system in building new trade rules or deepening trade liberalization. The major concern for agricultural market liberalization has led the Korean government to become very defensive and passive in participating in the WTO system. Considering the fact that potentially very influential new Members such as China and Russia begin to assert their economic rights more forcefully in the WTO system, it is imperative for the Korean government to develop its strategies for reshaping and strengthening its status.
One of the ways to improve the role and status in the WTO system is to host a ministerial conference of the WTO which is held every two years. Since the accession to GATT in 1967, Korea has never hosted a ministerial conference of GATT or WTO although other countries regard Korea as the most prominent beneficiary of trade liberalization initiatives under the GATT/WTO system. It is true that the WTO ministerial conference has the risk to be abused as the opportunity to provoke various protests, anti-globalization or anti-government. Nevertheless, given that Korea is now a G20 member to lead the global efforts to help developing countries and recover from global financial crisis, the Korean government should take the responsibility as a leading exemplary model in the world trading system.
Secondly, the Korean government should promote more nationals to directly contribute to the works of the WTO, especially at the high level secretariat or at a chair level of the committees. Although the Korean nationals working at the WTO secretariat may not favor the Korean government’s interest, such people will be able to able to contribute to the general capacity of Korea. One practical way to promote such cases is to allow special advisor positions in the permanent mission at Geneva, which can be filled by researchers in government funded research institutes or academics who specialize in relevant fields. In fact, more important tasks will be to make a Korean Director-General or Deputy Director-General in the WTO. Heads of international organizations need broad supports from all aspects of membership, which definitely requires government assistance. Therefore, government policies to nurture a leader at an international organization level should be pursued deliberately with a long term vision. This policy may be more rewarding in the future when Korea is regarded politically more neutral between developed and developing countries.
Finally, the government needs to address increasingly complicated accession process of the WTO. As illustrated in the case of China and Russia, WTO accession for non-market economy can be very controversial since it takes sometimes fundamental restructuring of the economic systems. In that regard, the Korean government needs to prepare for the WTO accession by North Korea, which will be the essential element of North Korea’s economic reform policies. Since the whole process of WTO accession will take a substantial period of time and it will take even more time for North Korea to be prepared for any serious discussion related to WTO accession, it would be better to start any preliminary works addressing potentially significant dimensions of North Korea’s accession. In other words, political, diplomatic, social, even cultural as well as economic aspects of North Korea’s WTO accession should be carefully assessed and thereby any necessary work plans must be implemented as early as possible.

국문요약

제1장 서론 

제2장 세계무역체제의 거버넌스 구조 형성, 발전 및 특징 
1. 세계무역체제 출범에서 세계무역기구로의 발전 
가. 국제무역기구(ITO) 설립 시도 시의 거버넌스 구조 
나. GATT 체제에서 WTO 체제로의 거버넌스 구조 발전 
다. WTO 체제 거버넌스 구조의 특이성 
2. 의사결정원칙의 발전 
가. 합의(Consensus) 방식의 운용과 문제점 
나. 개선 논의와 한계 
3. 일괄타결(Single Undertaking)원칙 
가. 일괄타결방식의 특징 
나. 일괄타결원칙의 법적 근거와 문제점 
4. 사법절차의 발전과 기능 확대 
가. 사법기능 강화의 명암 
나. 분쟁해결제도 운영 실무상 문제점 
5. 신규 회원국 가입절차상 문제점 
6. WTO 체제 내용과 외연의 확대 
7. 시민사회의 역할 증대와 수용 

제3장 WTO 체제 운영상 제기되는 지배구조 관련 문제점 
1. WTO 운영진 구성의 문제점 
가. 사무총장 및 사무차장 선출 현황 
나. 사무총장 및 사무차장 선임절차
다. WTO 사무국 주요 보직 구성 현황 
라. WTO 사무국 진출 관련 정책적 고려사항 
2. 다자간 무역협상구조에 의한 체제의 관성 강화 문제점 
가. 시장개방협상 
나. 규범협상 
3. 분쟁해결기구 운영상 문제점 
가. 패널위원 선임문제 
나. 상소기구 선출 
4. 신규 가입국들에 대한 가입부담의 문제점 
가. 과도한 가입요건 부과 문제 
나. 비시장경제국의 가입 관련 쟁점 

제4장 한국의 정책적 고려사항 
1. WTO 체제에서 한국의 현 상황 재인식 
2. 한국의 WTO 운영 관련 진출 확대방안 
3. WTO 가입협상 관련 정책적 고려사항 

참고문헌 

부록 
1. WTO 주요 국장보직자 내역 
2. WTO 기구 및 위원회 운영절차 규정 
3. 2012년 WTO 위원회 의장 현황 
4. WTO 위원회의 국별 대표 현황 

Executive Summary