South Korea's top envoy in Geneva has been elected the head of the World Trade Organization's committee monitoring regional trade agreements, the foreign ministry said Friday.

Ambassador Lee Tae-ho was elected by consensus to lead the Committee on Regional Trade Agreement for one year at the WTO's General Council session in Geneva on Thursday, according to the ministry.

The committee is a key body promoting the transparent management of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements signed by countries around the world, the ministry said.

The ministry said that Lee, a diplomat well-versed in various trade affairs, is expected to help strengthen and develop the committee's operations going forward. (Yonhap)