Han Seung-soo
Han Seung -soo ( born December 28, 1936 in Shunsen, sub-province Kōgendō, Chosen province, former Japanese Empire, present-day South Korea) is a South Korean politician and diplomat. From February 29 2008 to September 28, 2009 was Han Prime Minister of South Korea. He was previously both foreign, trade, economic and finance ministers as well as deputy prime minister of his country, as well as President of the 56th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Academic career
Han Seung -soo obtained in 1960 a Bachelor's degree in political science at Yonsei University in 1963 and MA at Seoul National University; later he earned his doctorate in 1968 at the University of York, England, in economics. In his dissertation, "The Growth and Function of the European Budget ", he was awarded by the European Community.
1970 to 1988 he was Professor of Economics at Seoul National University, 1986/87 next visiting professor in Tokyo.
In addition, he has worked as consultant for the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP ) and the World Bank act by the latter, he was sent in the late 1970s as a consultant to the government there to Jordan.
Later, he was a special guest professor at the Academy of International Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul and honorary professor at the University of York, England.
Political career
1988 Han Seung -soo was elected to the Parliament of South Korea, whose member he is still (as of March 2006). 1988-1990 he was Minister of Commerce of South Korea. 1993/94 deployed his country as Ambassador Han in the U.S. before 1994 appointed him President Kim Young- sam to his Head of Cabinet; to this office concluded in 1996 that he became a deputy prime minister and finance and economy minister, he had this post until 1997. During his tenure, the accession of the Republic of Korea to the OECD and the first offer of help South Korea fall to North Korea to deliver rice.
In April 2001, he was finally Secretary of State. When he was elected in September of the same year as President of the 56th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. In this role, Han received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for the UN. After the end of his term as President of the UN General Assembly, he resigned as foreign minister of South Korea. In 2007, Han was appointed together with Gro Harlem Brundtland and Ricardo Lagos by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki -moon as the Special Representative on Climate Change.
On 28 January 2008, elected in December 2007, new President of South Korea Lee Myung -bak said he would propose Han after his inauguration on 25 February 2008 the parliament as the new prime minister. The South Korean Parliament approved the proposal on 29 February 2008 by a large majority.
In the parliamentary elections on 9 April 2008 Hans Hannara Dang party could obtain an absolute majority of seats. But already on 10 June 2008 gave Han and all the ministers of his cabinet at her resignation. Preceded this step were massive protests in the population against current plans to repeal the 2003 ban imposed against beef imports from the United States. The import ban was decided because of the rampant sale of BSE epidemic. Large parts of the population accused the government of neglecting security controls and to have put people's health at risk.