Han Duck-soo (Korean: 한덕수; born 18 June 1949) is a South Korean diplomat, economist, and politician serving as the 48th and current prime minister of South Korea since May 2022. Han is the fifth person to hold the office twice,[1] having previously served as the 38th prime minister under President Roh Moo-hyun from 2007 to 2008. He also held office as ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2012 and as chairman of the Korea International Trade Association from 2012 to 2015.[2][3]
Early life and education
Han was born on 18 June 1949 in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, as the fifth son of six sons and three daughters to Han Byeong-ho and Jeonju Choi. He served in the South Korean Army and was discharged as a sergeant.[4] Han graduated from Seoul National University 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.[5]
Career
Early political career
Han started his political career at the National Tax Service in 1970 and joined the Economic Planning Board four years later. In 1982, he moved to what is now the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, where he eventually became Vice Minister.[6] He held the office from 1997 to 1998, during which the 1997 Asian financial crisis took place. After Han left the position, he was Minister of Trade Affairs from 1998 to 2000, where his primary role was handling trade negotiations with foreign governments.
Han became Minister of Finance in March 2005.[7] Later, he briefly served as Acting Prime Minister from 14 March 2006 to 19 April 2006.[8] He resigned as Finance Minister in July 2006 and became a special presidential advisor for free trade agreement affairs.[7]
Prime Minister (2007–2008)
On 9 March 2007, Han was nominated as prime minister by president Roh Moo-hyun following the resignation of Han Myeong-sook.[7][9] His nomination was approved by the National Assembly on 2 April 2007.[9] He left office on 29 February 2008 after Lee Myung-bak was inaugurated as president, being succeeded in the office by Han Seung-soo.
Han held teaching positions at Hongik University and Dankook University before president-elect Yoon Suk Yeol nominated him for prime minister in April 2022.[12][13] During his confirmation hearings, Han claimed stabilizing the economy would be his top priority in office.[14] The Democratic Party, who held a majority of the seats in the National Assembly, and the Justice Party both boycotted his confirmation.[15] However, he was approved in May and became prime minister again at the age of 72 and 11 months, making him the oldest person ever to take the office.[6][14]
In February 2024, after a government plan to boost admissions into medical schools was introduced, thousands of doctors stopped working in protest, claiming it would hurt the quality of service. The protest caused considerable delays to surgical procedures and medical treatment. Han ordered emergency measures to combat the crisis, such as the use of telemedicine, more public hospital operations, and the opening of military clinics.[16] On 22 February, Han announced that South Korea's health alert would be raised to 'severe' during a disaster management meeting.[17][18] A couple days later, Han announced that South Korea would send military and community doctors to combat the ongoing emergency.[19]
In August 2024, Han advised president Yoon Suk Yeol to strike down four bills sponsored by the opposition, claiming they breached the president's nomination rights enshrined in the Constitution.[21] In the same month, amid the prolonged doctor's strike, Han announced that hospitals could extend the application period for trainee doctor programs. The statement occurred after only 104 candidates (1.4 percent of trainee doctor positions available in 126 hospitals) had applied for the programs.[22] Han also reported that comprehensive plans for four health care reform tasks and a five year investment plan to boost medical sectors would be announced later in the month.[23]
Personal life
Han is married to Choi Ah-young and has no children.[24][6]
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