Han Duck-soo

Han Duck-soo
Han in 2024
Han Duck-soo
Born	18 6, 1949
Birthplace	Jeonju, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
Occupation	Diplomat, economist, politician
Title	Prime Minister of South Korea (2007–2008; 2022–2025) Acting President of South Korea (December 2024; March–May 2025)
Known for	Serving twice as Prime Minister of South Korea; serving as Acting President of South Korea (2024–2025)

Han Duck-soo (Template:Lang-ko; born 18 June 1949) is a South Korean diplomat, economist, and politician whose long career in public service spanned economic policymaking, international diplomacy, and the highest offices of the South Korean government. He served as the Prime Minister of South Korea on two separate occasions — first from 2007 to 2008 under President Roh Moo-hyun, and again from 2022 to 2025 under President Yoon Suk Yeol — making him only the fifth person in South Korean history to hold the prime minister's office twice. Following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2024, Han assumed the role of acting president of South Korea, a position he held briefly before he himself was impeached by the National Assembly. Reinstated by the Constitutional Court of Korea in March 2025, he served again as acting president until his resignation on 1 May 2025 to pursue a presidential bid. In January 2026, Han was found guilty and sentenced to 23 years in prison for his role in the 2024 martial law declaration, on charges including aiding and abetting insurrection, perjury, and falsifying and destroying official documents.

Early Life

Han Duck-soo was born on 18 June 1949 in Jeonju, a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Jeonju is historically significant as the ancestral home of the Joseon dynasty and has long been an important cultural and administrative center in the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula. Details regarding Han's family background and upbringing during the post-Korean War era remain limited in publicly available sources. He came of age during a transformative period in South Korean history, as the country underwent rapid industrialization and economic development in the 1960s and 1970s under successive authoritarian governments.

Han's formative years coincided with South Korea's emergence as an export-driven economy, a context that would significantly shape his later career trajectory in economic policy and international trade. Growing up in a provincial city outside the Seoul metropolitan area, Han was part of a generation of South Korean public servants and technocrats who would eventually guide the nation's economic modernization and integration into the global trading system.

Career

Early Government Service and Economic Policy

Han Duck-soo built his career primarily within the South Korean government's economic and financial apparatus. He rose through the ranks of the country's economic bureaucracy during a period of sustained growth and periodic financial turbulence, gaining expertise in fiscal policy, trade negotiations, and international economic relations. His technocratic background distinguished him from many other South Korean politicians who entered public life through party politics or the legal profession.

Han served as the Minister of Economy and Finance from 2005 to 2006 under President Roh Moo-hyun. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing South Korea's macroeconomic policy, budgetary planning, and financial regulation during a period when the country was continuing its recovery from the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and was seeking to position itself as a more prominent player in the global economy. His tenure as finance minister earned him recognition as a capable economic manager and set the stage for his elevation to the prime ministership.

First Term as Prime Minister (2007–2008)

Han was appointed as the Prime Minister of South Korea in 2007, serving under President Roh Moo-hyun. His appointment was seen as part of Roh's effort to bring experienced economic technocrats into the highest levels of government. As prime minister, Han was tasked with coordinating the work of the cabinet and overseeing the implementation of government policy across ministries.

His first stint as prime minister was relatively brief, lasting until 2008 when the administration of Roh Moo-hyun gave way to that of Lee Myung-bak following the December 2007 presidential election. During this period, Han played a role in maintaining government operations during the transition between administrations and in advancing South Korea's economic policy agenda, including ongoing free trade negotiations with various international partners.

Ambassador to the United States (2009–2012)

Following the end of his first term as prime minister, Han transitioned into a diplomatic role. He was appointed as South Korea's Ambassador to the United States in 2009, serving in that capacity until 2012 under the administration of President Lee Myung-bak.

As ambassador, Han was stationed in Washington, D.C. during a consequential period in the bilateral relationship between South Korea and the United States. One of the most significant developments during his tenure was the negotiation and ratification of the Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA). The trade agreement, which had been under negotiation for several years, was a major priority for both the South Korean and American governments. Han's background in economic policy made him a natural fit for advancing the agreement's progress through the complex legislative processes in both countries.

During this period, Han engaged extensively with American policymakers, trade officials, and members of Congress to promote the economic and strategic benefits of closer U.S.-South Korea ties. His ambassadorship also coincided with heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following North Korean provocations, including the sinking of the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan in 2010 and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island later that year, which required close diplomatic coordination between Seoul and Washington.

Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (2012–2015)

After concluding his ambassadorship, Han assumed the role of Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) from 2012 to 2015. KITA is one of South Korea's most influential business organizations, representing the interests of the country's exporters and promoting international trade. In this position, Han leveraged his extensive government and diplomatic experience to advocate for South Korean business interests abroad and to facilitate trade relationships between South Korean companies and their international counterparts.

His time at KITA allowed Han to remain connected to the intersection of economic policy and international relations that had defined much of his career, while operating in a semi-private capacity outside of direct government service.

Second Term as Prime Minister (2022–2025)

Han Duck-soo was nominated as Prime Minister by President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol in April 2022, ahead of Yoon's inauguration. The nomination of Han, an experienced economic technocrat and former prime minister, was interpreted as an effort by the incoming Yoon administration to signal stability and competence in economic governance.

Han was confirmed and formally took office as Prime Minister on 21 May 2022, coinciding with the start of the Yoon Suk Yeol presidency. His appointment marked a notable return to the pinnacle of government service after years in the private and diplomatic sectors.

During his second tenure as prime minister, Han was involved in managing several major policy challenges. In early 2024, the South Korean government faced a significant crisis when thousands of trainee doctors walked out of hospitals in protest against government plans to increase medical school admissions. The walkout prompted the government to raise the national health alert level to its most severe designation, as hospitals across the country struggled to maintain services with reduced medical staff. As prime minister, Han played a role in the government's response to the crisis, which became one of the defining domestic policy disputes of the Yoon administration.

Han also represented South Korea at international forums, including the COP28 climate change conference held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in late 2023, where he participated in discussions on global climate policy on behalf of the South Korean government.

Acting Presidency and Impeachment (December 2024 – May 2025)

On 14 December 2024, President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly of South Korea following the declaration of martial law earlier that month. Under the South Korean constitution, when the president is unable to discharge the duties of office, the prime minister assumes the role of acting president. Han Duck-soo accordingly became the Acting President of South Korea on 14 December 2024.

Han's tenure as acting president proved turbulent. Thirteen days into his acting presidency, on 27 December 2024, the National Assembly voted to impeach Han himself. The grounds for his impeachment included his refusal to promulgate two special counsel bills that had been passed by the National Assembly — bills designed to establish investigations into the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee — as well as his failure to appoint three candidates to the Constitutional Court of Korea who had been designated by the National Assembly. The impeachment suspended Han's powers as both acting president and prime minister, and both sets of duties were transferred to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who became acting president in Han's stead.

However, the Constitutional Court subsequently reviewed Han's impeachment and, on 24 March 2025, ruled in a 7–1 vote to reinstate him. The court's decision restored Han to both the acting presidency and the prime ministership. He resumed his duties as acting president at a time of continued political uncertainty in South Korea, as the country awaited the Constitutional Court's separate ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol's presidential impeachment.

Following the Constitutional Court's decision to remove Yoon from office in April 2025, Han was initially expected to serve as acting president until the subsequent presidential election could be held. However, on 1 May 2025, Han resigned from both the acting presidency and the prime ministership in order to launch an independent bid for the presidency. His resignation transferred the acting presidential duties to the next eligible cabinet official.

Han briefly became the candidate of the People Power Party during a period when the nomination of Kim Moon-soo was suspended, but Kim's candidacy was subsequently restored on 10 May 2025, ending Han's brief tenure as the party's standard-bearer.

Criminal Conviction (2025–2026)

In August 2025, Han Duck-soo was indicted by special prosecutors who were investigating the events surrounding President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law in December 2024. The indictment alleged that Han had played a role in the martial law declaration and its aftermath.

On 21 January 2026, Han was found guilty by a South Korean court. He was convicted on charges of aiding and abetting insurrection, perjury, and falsifying and destroying official documents related to the martial law incident. The court sentenced Han to 23 years in prison, one of the most severe sentences handed down to a former senior South Korean government official in connection with the martial law crisis.

Personal Life

Han Duck-soo has maintained a largely private personal life throughout his career in public service. Publicly available information about his family and personal affairs is limited. Throughout his career, he has been described primarily as a technocrat and career public servant, with his professional life centered on economic policy and government administration rather than partisan political activity.

His career trajectory — moving between government ministries, diplomatic postings, trade organizations, and the prime ministership — reflected a pattern common among South Korea's senior economic bureaucrats, who often rotated between public and quasi-public roles over the course of decades-long careers in national service.

Recognition

Han Duck-soo's career brought him to the attention of international media and policymakers, particularly during his time as ambassador to the United States, when he was a visible advocate for the Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement. He appeared on the American public affairs network C-SPAN in connection with his diplomatic activities.

His appointment as prime minister for a second time in 2022 was covered extensively by South Korean and international media, with outlets noting the rarity of a figure serving in the role twice and highlighting his extensive experience in economic governance.

Han's brief and contested tenure as acting president in late 2024 and early 2025 drew significant international attention, as the political crisis surrounding the martial law declaration and successive impeachments was covered by major global news organizations. His subsequent criminal conviction in January 2026 further elevated his profile, though in a markedly different context from the earlier phases of his career.

Legacy

Han Duck-soo's legacy in South Korean politics is complex and contested. For much of his career, he was regarded as a capable and experienced economic technocrat who served in senior positions across multiple administrations spanning the political spectrum — from the progressive Roh Moo-hyun government to the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration. His ability to work under presidents of different political orientations was seen as a reflection of his nonpartisan, technocratic approach to governance.

His role in advancing the Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement during his ambassadorship represented a significant contribution to South Korea's trade policy and its economic relationship with the United States. His leadership of the Korea International Trade Association further cemented his reputation in international trade circles.

However, the events of late 2024 and early 2025 fundamentally altered the trajectory of Han's public legacy. His involvement in the martial law crisis, his own impeachment as acting president, and his ultimate conviction and 23-year prison sentence placed him among a growing number of former senior South Korean officials to face criminal prosecution after leaving office. The conviction on charges of aiding and abetting insurrection, perjury, and document destruction marked a dramatic fall from the heights of government service.

Han's case became part of the broader reckoning within South Korean society over the martial law declaration of December 2024, an episode that tested the country's democratic institutions and resulted in the removal of a sitting president and the prosecution of numerous officials. His story illustrates both the strengths and vulnerabilities of South Korea's democratic system — a system capable of holding even the most senior officials accountable, but one that has repeatedly been shaken by political crises at the highest levels of government.