Han Duck-soo (; born 18 June 1949) is a South Korean politician serving as the 44th and current Prime Minister of South Korea since May 2022. Han is the fifth person to serve as the prime minister twice having served as the 38th Prime Minister under President Roh Moo-hyun from 2007 to 2008. He was the ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2012. He served as Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association from 2012 to 2015.

Education

Han graduated from

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...

with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1971. He received a master's degree in economics in 1979 and a doctorate in economics in 1984 from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Career

His career spans over 35 years, starting at the National Tax Service in 1970 and the Economic Planning Board four years later. In 1982, he moved to what is now the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, where he rose to Vice Minister in 1997–1998, during the Asian financial crisis; he later became Minister of Trade Affairs (1998–2000), handling trade negotiations with foreign governments. Han subsequently became

Minister of Finance of South Korea The Ministry of Economy and Finance (abbreviated to MOEF) oversees the financial policies of the South Korean government. It publishes a monthly report on the national economy, known as the "Green Book." The current minister is Choo Kyung-ho. The ...

"S. Korean president nominates new PM"
Xinhua (''People's Daily Online''), 9 March 2007. and served as Acting Prime Minister from 14 March 2006 to 19 April 2006. He resigned as Finance Minister in July 2006 and instead became a special presidential advisor for free trade agreement affairs. On 9 March 2007, Han was nominated as Prime Minister by President Roh Moo-hyun following the resignation of

Han Myeong-sook Han Myeong-sook (born March 24, 1944; ko, 한명숙 ) was the Prime Minister of South Korea from April 2006 to March 2007. She is South Korea's first female prime minister (second female prime minister overall if the acting premiership of Chan ...

."New S.Korean PM nomination approved by National Assembly"
Xinhua (''People's Daily Online''), 2 April 2007. His nomination was approved by the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

on 2 April 2007. In 2022, Han became prime minister again at the age of 72 and 11 months, becoming the oldest person to take the office.

References

1949 births Living people Ambassadors of South Korea to the United States Deputy Prime Ministers of South Korea Finance ministers of South Korea Government ministers of South Korea Cheongju Han clan Harvard University alumni Kyunggi High School alumni People from Jeonju Seoul National University alumni South Korean diplomats {{SouthKorea-politician-stub