Han Duck-soo

Han Duck-soo trained as an economist at Seoul National University and Harvard and spent much of his public career in economic administration. He worked at the Economic Planning Board, rose through trade policy positions, and served as trade minister, ambassador to the OECD, and finance minister. In 2006 he chaired the presidential committee promoting the Korea–United States free trade agreement. He was prime minister under Roh Moo-hyun from April 2007 to February 2008. ^{1, 2}

Appointed ambassador to the United States in 2009, Han made the trade agreement a major subject of his public work. In January 2011 he appeared with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk at a Third Way event arguing the agreement's benefits for American exporters and workers. He also took part in the Korea Economic Institute's ambassadors' dialogue with Kathleen Stephens, the American ambassador in Seoul. ^{1, 3}

Han left Washington in February 2012 and headed the Korea International Trade Association until 2015. He returned as prime minister under Yoon Suk Yeol in May 2022. Following Yoon's suspension, Han served as acting president, but the National Assembly also impeached him and suspended his duties. The Constitutional Court dismissed his impeachment in March 2025, enabling his return to office; he resigned as prime minister and acting president on May 1. ^{1, 2, 4, 5}

Criminal proceedings over the December 2024 martial law declaration followed separately from the impeachment case. In May 2026 the Seoul High Court upheld his conviction for playing a key role in the insurrection and reduced his prison sentence from twenty-three to fifteen years, while reversing one perjury finding. The Supreme Court referred his appeal to its full bench in August 2026. ^{6, 7}