Dr. Han Seung-soo (born December 28, 1936 in Gangwon-do) is a Korean politician and diplomat. He has been the Prime Minister of South Korea since February 2008, and he was the President of the 56th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in 2001 and 2002.

Education

Han received his bachelor's degree from Yonsei University in 1960. He acquired his master's from Seoul National University in 1963 and his doctorate in economics from University of York in 1968. He went on to hold various professorial positions in England and South Korea.

Political and diplomatic career

He was first elected to the National Assembly in 1988. He was ambassador to the United States from 1993 to 1994, chief of staff to President Kim Young Sam from 1994 to 1995, and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister from 1996 to 1997.

In April 2001, Dr. Han was appointed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. He was elected the President of the fifty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2001.

After his term in the United Nations, he re-entered politics and was elected into the Korean National Assembly in 2002. Before the elections, he left the posts of Chairman of the UN General Assembly and Foreign Minister.

In May 2007, Dr. Han was appointed to serve as a Special Envoy on Climate Change for the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

After Lee Myung-bak won the December 2007 presidential election, he nominated Han as Prime Minister in late January 2008. Han's nomination was approved by the National Assembly on 29 February 2008, with 270 votes in favor and 94 opposed. The United Democratic Party, which considered Han to be unsuitable, caused the vote to be delayed from the initially planned date of February 25, but it eventually decided not to oppose Han's nomination after the withdrawal of three other ministerial nominations that it opposed.

Due to controversy and protests regarding a deal to import beef from the United States, Han and his Cabinet offered their resignations in June 2008. Lee reshuffled the Cabinet slightly on July 7, replacing three ministers but keeping Han and most of his Cabinet in place.

See also

• Politics of South Korea

External links

• Han Seung-soo's address to the 56th session of the United Nations General Assembly, as President of the Assembly, November 10, 2001 (video)
• Prime Minister Han Seung-soo's address to the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, as representative of the Republic of Korea, September 25, 2008

References