Head of S. Korea's tech standard agency named ISO director

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- The head of South Korea's standard-setting organization
has been tapped to become a director of the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO), the government agency said Tuesday.
The appointment of administrator Nam In-suk as one of five new council directors
reflects solid strides made by the country to promote international
standardization efforts that are critical for advancing free trade, the Korean
Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) said.
Nam's two-year tenure at the organization will begin in 2010, with his
participation likely to help raise South Korea's views on industrial standards
within the Geneva-based organization.
The non-governmental organization is the world's largest developer and publisher
of international standards and encompasses the national standards institutes of
160 countries.
Seoul had forwarded only 11 international standard recommendations to the ISO up
till 2000, but suggested 280 by June of 2008, and helped train foreign standard
setting experts as part of its contribution to expand unified rules for products
and services.
KATS, meanwhile, said South Korea will be one of eight countries in the world
that have representatives sitting on both the ISO council and its technical
management board (TMB).
The United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Canada and China have members
sitting on the two influential ISO bodies.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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