Voting among the 41 member countries of the organization's executive council is likely to take place in October, the officials said.

Kim, close to former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, doubled as the UN high representative for disarmament affairs during his stint at the UN

The Hague, Netherlands-based OPCW is an international organization in charge of implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention, an arms treaty banning the production and use of chemical weapons. 

If he is elected, it may lead to the OPCW intensifying its pressure on North Korea after the country drew broad criticism following the use of nerve agency VX in the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in Malaysia in February. (Yonhap)