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Judge Zha Hyoung Rhee

Member of the Tribunal since 1 October 2023

Born: Seoul, Republic of Korea, 1 December 1966.

Education: LL.B, College of Law, Seoul National University (SNU), Republic of Korea (1988); LL.M in Environmental and Natural Resources Law, University of Utah, USA (1999); LL.M, Harvard Law School, USA (2000); Private International Law Course, Hague Academy of International Law, Netherlands (2001).

Diplomatic Career: Joined the Foreign Service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1996); Counsellor, Korean Embassy to the Netherlands (2010-2012); Director for International Legal Affairs, MoFA (2013-2015); Chief, Legal Team, Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations, New York, USA (2015-2018); Ambassador to Afghanistan (2018-2020); Director-General for International Legal Affairs, MoFA (2020-2023).

Professional Experience: Officer in charge of: Korea’s WTO panel proceedings (1997-1998), ICJ, ICC and ICTY affairs (2010-2012); Head of delegation to: annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (2013), ATCM (2014, 2022), annual SPLOS meeting (2015-2017, 2022-2023), Resumed Review Conference on the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (2016), BBNJ PrepComs (2016-2017), director-general level negotiations on maritime boundary delimitation between Korea and China (2021-2022), BBNJ Intergovernmental Conference (2022-2023).

Member: Board of the Korean Society of International Law (2013-2015, 2022-present), the Korea International Law Review (2013-2015, 2022-present), and the International Humanitarian Law Advisory Committee (2020-2023); Vice-President of the International Environmental Law & Policy Association (2023-present).

Publications and lectures: Among others, “Toward a Fairer WTO Dispute Settlement Procedure”. Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security Review 8(2), 2000; “Negotiations on and Possible Korean Contributions to the Draft International Convention Against the Reproductive Cloning of Human Beings”. MOFA Quarterly Journal of International Law Issues and Practices 1(1), 2002; presentation on “Analysis of Recent Maritime Issues and Policy Suggestions” at the Fourth 2013 Ocean Policy Seminar, co-hosted by the Sea Lanes of Communications Study Group-Korea, the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy and the Korea Maritime Institute in December 2013; special lectures on “Exclusive Economic Zones,” “Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities” and “State Responsibilities” as part of the diplomatic training course at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in 2013-2015 and 2021-2023; presentation on “Enforcing Judgments & Decisions of ICJ” at the 2014 SNU Law Research Institute International Conference in November 2014; speech on “Polishing the Diamond: State of the Seas of the Republic of Korea” at a side event of the 15th Meeting of UN-Oceans in June 2016; keynote speech on “Way Forward in UN BBNJ Negotiations and Korea’s Role” at the Fourth Academic Conference of International Environmental Law & Policy Association in April 2022.