South Korea’s Ambassador to Austria Ham Sang-wook has been elected as the president of the 68th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA).

Ham, South Korea’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, was elected to hold the presidency of the IAEA’s General Conference in Vienna on Monday. 

The General Conference elects a president at the beginning of each annual session, following consultations among member states before the event.

In his acceptance speech, Ham emphasized that South Korea, which joined as a founding member of the UN nuclear watchdog in 1956, has achieved remarkable growth and become a leading nation in nuclear power.

Ham serves as president during the IAEA conference, which is held until Friday. 

It marks the first time in 35 years that South Korea held the presidency of the IAEA General Conference since 1989.