Eom Woo-jong named first vice president of World Bank's new accountability body

South Korea's finance ministry said Friday that Eom Woo-jong, a former managing director general of the Asian Development Bank, has been appointed the first vice president and director general of the World Bank Group's newly created Independent Accountability Mechanism.

The World Bank Group announced the appointment on Wednesday, the ministry said, adding that Eom is scheduled to take up the post on Jan. 18, 2027. He becomes the second Korean to reach a vice presidency at the group, after Kim Sang-bu was named vice president for digital and AI in July 2024.

The new body consolidates the World Bank's independent inspection panel and dispute resolution service with the compliance advisor and ombudsman offices of the International Finance Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. It will handle grievances from communities that have been harmed, or fear harm, from projects the group has financed, and will independently review whether those projects meet environmental and social standards. Its head reports directly to the World Bank Group's board rather than to management, and oversees dispute resolution, compliance reviews and advisory work independently.

Eom joined the ADB in 1993 and went on to serve as its secretary general and as director of its sustainable development and climate change department, before holding the post of managing director general from 2021 to 2024. He has since been chief executive of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet.

The ministry cast the appointment as recognition abroad of Korean expertise and leadership. It noted recent senior appointments at the World Bank Group, including Min Jin-a as director of market and counterparty risk in May 2026, and said the trend should raise Korea's standing in international financial institutions.

The government plans to keep supporting Koreans seeking posts at such institutions through high-level consultations, the junior professional officer and mid-career programs, and recruitment briefings.