On October 24, Chaesub Lee, a research consultant on ICT/Telecommunication technology and their standard developments at the KAIST Institute for IT Convergence was elected Director of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. He received 87 votes out of the 169, exceeding the required poll of 85 votes by two.

Lee will be in charge of managing the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), which has authority over global ICT standards. His term will start on January 1, 2015 and end on December 31, 2018, with the option of a consecutive term if he wishes to do so.

In 1986, Lee joined Korea Telecom and began working on standardization. In the following year, he conducted research at the International Telegraph and the Telephone Consultative Committee (renamed ITU-T in 1993) and also served as editor of the ITU-T Study Group 13 (SG13). In 2008, he was elected chairman of ITU-T SG13.

Back in the 1980s when Korea did not participate extensively in international standardization, Lee paved his way into ITU and began building his career. In 2000, he led the development of next-generation network (NGN) and Internet protocol television (IPTV). He has also done consulting work for foreign countries such as Lebanon and Serbia on telecommunication policies.

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) cooperated in raising more votes by persuading the 192 ITU member nations. MSIP negotiated with the representatives of ITU member nations as well as ministers and vice-ministers. MOFA utilized the embassies worldwide to promote and raise support for Lee.

In a statement, MSIP and MOFA released a statement that said, “Korea hosted the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 60 years after joining the ITU, and the election of the Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau is a sign that the world is recognizing Korea for its ICT global leadership.”

The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014 (PP-14) took place at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) from October 20 to November 7. The next conference will be held at the United Arab Emirates in 2018.