WIPO-WTO Joint Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights and Transfer of Technology

(Geneva, November 17, 2003)

Speaker - Joseph Seon Hur

Mr. Joseph Seon Hur, born in 1952, in Seoul, is Director General of Competition Policy Bureau of the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). He is responsible for competition policy initiative and coordination, regulatory reform and international cooperation.

He currently holds vice-chairman of Competition Committee in the OECD and Chairman of Membership Working Group in International Competition Network (ICN). His interest extends to competition law and policy experience of Korea, especially economic development and competition policy.

One of his achievements was a great contribution to enhancing international cooperation between the KFTC and international organization. He had been head of the Korean delegation in international meetings such as OECD Committee on Competition Law and Policy, WTO Regional Workshop on Competition Policy, APEC Workshop on Competition Policy and Regulatory Reform and OECD Committee on Consumer Policy. He has been also invited to those meetings as a speaker. As a Director General of Policy Bureau, he successfully carried out investigation on electrodes-graphite international cartel in 2002 which was the first extraterritorial application of Korean competition law to international cartels. He was head of organizing team for ‘Seoul Competition Forum 2002’, ‘International Workshop on Competition Policy’ and ‘Competition Section of Korea International Cooperation Agency Program’ which were to provide transition economies and developing countries with technical assistance

Mr. Hur started his career as a government official in 1976. He had worked at Economics Planning Board until 1992, which was responsible for economic policy development and budgeting. Since 1993, he has been working at the Korea Fair Trade Commission. During his career at the KFTC, Mr. Hur was Director General of Policy Development Team, Director of Consumer Protection Planning Div., Director of Advertisement & Gift Div. and Director of Competition & Deregulation Div.

He earned Master degree in Seoul National University (1979) and New York University (1981). He published a number of books including ‘Studies on the transition of socialist economy to market economy, 1991, Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry’. In addition to publication, he wrote many papers such as ‘What are the pros and cons of a multilateral framework as a tool for strengthening the implementation of competition policy in developing countries?’, ‘Evolution of competition policy and its impact on economic development in Korea’, etc.