President Moon Jae-in had phone calls with the leaders of Kazakhstan and Chile on Thursday to seek their support for the South Korean trade minister's bid for the top post at the World Trade Organization(WTO).

In a phone conversation with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Moon stressed that it is very important to elect a candidate with the vision and capability to restore trust in a multilateral trading system.

Moon then called for Kazakhstan's active support for Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, noting that the country is a key partner for South Korea's New Northern Policy.

Later in the day, Moon also had a phone call with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, asking for Chile's support for Yoo's bid for the WTO leadership.

Moon is engaging in active phone diplomacy to support the trade minister, holding phone calls with the leaders of 13 countries so far to ask for their backing for Yoo.

Trade Minister Yoo is competing against Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in the third and final stage for the top post of the global trade body.  

The new WTO chief is expected to be announced early next month.