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Han Myeong-sook | |
|---|---|
| 한명숙 | |
 Han in 2006 | |
| Chairperson of theDemocratic United Party | |
| In office 16 January 2012 – 12 April 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Won Hye-young Lee Yong-sun(acting) |
| Succeeded by | Moon Sung-keun |
| Prime Minister of South Korea | |
| In office 19 April 2006 – 7 March 2007 | |
| President | Roh Moo-hyun |
| Preceded by | Lee Hae-chan Han Duck-soo(acting) |
| Succeeded by | Kwon O-kyu(acting) Han Duck-soo |
| Minister of Environment | |
| In office 27 February 2003 – 16 February 2004 | |
| Prime Minister | Goh Kun |
| Preceded by | Kim Myung-ja |
| Succeeded by | Kwak Kyul-ho |
| Minister of Gender Equality | |
| In office 29 January 2001 – 26 February 2003 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Han-dong Chang Sang(acting) Jeon Yun-churl(acting) Chang Dae-hwan(acting) Kim Suk-soo |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Ji Eun-hee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1944-03-24)24 March 1944 (age 81) |
| Political party | National Congress for New Politics(Before 2000) Millennium Democratic Party(2000–2003) Uri Party(2003–2007) United New Democratic Party(2007–2008) Democratic Party(2008–2011) Democratic United Party(2011–2014) Minjoo Party(2014–2015) Independent[1](2015–present) |
| Spouse | Park Seong-jun |
| Alma mater | Ewha Womans University |
| Signature |  |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 한명숙 |
| Hanja | 韓明淑 |
| RR | Han Myeongsuk |
| MR | Han Myŏngsuk |
| Korean royal family (Cheongju Han clan) | |
Han Myeong-sook (Korean:한명숙;Korean pronunciation:[hanmjʌŋsʰuk]; born March 24, 1944) is a South Korean politician who served as theprime minister of South Korea from 2006 to 2007. A former member of theUnited New Democratic Party (UNDP), she was South Korea's first female prime minister (second female prime minister overall if the acting premiership of Chang Sang is included).
Born in modern-dayPyongyang, Han graduated fromEwha Womans University inSeoul with a degree inFrench literature. In 2000, she was elected as a member of theNational Assembly forIlsan-gab. She served asPrime Minister of South Korea underRoh Moo-hyun from 2006 until her resignation on March 7, 2007, to begin herpresidential candidacy. After losing her party's nomination, Han ran for a seat in the National Assembly, but was ultimately defeated. However, in January 2012, she was elected leader of theDemocratic United Party (DUP) before the April legislative elections, in which they failed to defeat the rulingSaenuri Party. Han stepped down as party leader in April 2012.[2] In August 2015, Han was convicted of receiving illegal donations and sentenced to two years in prison. She was granted special amnesty by the government and her constitutional rights were restored in 2021.
She was imprisoned from 1979 to 1981 after she confessed to teaching pro-Communist ideas to workers, farmers and low-income women, but it is now accepted she was imprisoned for pro-Democratic activities.[3] A government committee exonerated her of any wrongdoing in 2001, ruling her confession was elicited throughtorture.[4]
In 1999, she joined the National Congress for New Politics, and entered politics. In 2000, she was elected as a member of the 16th Korean National Assembly (for Proportional representation). In 2004, she ran for a member of the National Assembly inIlsan ofGoyang and was elected.
Han was the first Minister ofGender Equality, serving from 2001 to 2003. She served as the Minister ofEnvironment from 2003 to 2004.[5]
On 24 March 2006, following the resignation of Prime MinisterLee Hae-chan,PresidentRoh Moo-hyun nominated Han[5] to become the first female Prime Minister of South Korea.[4] Han is only the second woman to be nominated for the Prime Ministership.[3] On 20 April 2006, Han Myeong-Sook was sworn in, becoming the first femalePrime Minister of South Korea.[5]
 Han in 2006 | |
| Premiership of Han Myeong-sook April 19, 2006 – March 7, 2007 | |
| Cabinet | Full list |
|---|---|
| Party | Uri |
| Seat | Sejong City |
Han Duck-soo (1st) → | |
 | |
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Han visitedLibya on 19 September 2006 and 20 September 2006.[6]
Han went to theUnited Arab Emirates on 24 September and held high level talks withPrime MinisterMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Han said she wanted to cultivate "the potential for bilateral cooperation in... trade, investment, IT and tourism." According to Han, "around 50 South Korean companies of global competitiveness have established headquarters of theMiddle East region inDubai." UAE companies invested $8 billion in South Korea from 2002 to 2006, but South Korea total investment in the UAE is only $25 million.[7]
Han was interviewed by Gulf News in September 2006. She expressed a desire to increase South Korean investment in the UAE and sign aFree Trade Agreement with theGulf Cooperation Council. When asked aboutgender equality in the UAE, she expressed interest inMuslim women, and commended the fact that the "status ofwomen in Islam is a historic and religious outcome that is regulated by theQuran andHadith." She pointed to the efforts of SheikhaFatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi, the mother of the UAE, the appointment of SheikhaLubna Khalid Al Qasimi, the first appointment of a female minister, as the Minister of Economy, and the February 2006 appointment ofMaryam Mohammed Khalfan Al Roumi as the Minister of Social Affairs as positive signs of the UAE's adapting to social changes. She rejected the idea of "imposing a U.S. orWestern-style democracy on theArab world" saying, "the values of democracy are not to be imposed." Han expressed her friendship towardsLebanon andIsrael and her support forUN Security Council Resolution 1701,UNIFIL,United Nations Secretary-GeneralKofi Annan's efforts at securing peace, and Foreign Minister Ban's candidacy to be the next Secretary General.[7]
Han met withDaniyal Akhmetov, thePrime Minister of Kazakhstan, on 23 September 2006 inAstana,Kazakhstan. They signed several bilateral agreements enhancing economic ties. TheGovernment of South Korea agreed to invest an additional $2 billion in joint projects in the energy, uranium-extraction, construction, transportation, and banking sectors. Akhmetov offered South Korea the option of participating in developing a new type ofnuclear reactor. South Korean investors have stakes in more than 300 Kazakhstan-based companies. Han was in Kazakhstan until 24 September. She then traveled toUzbekistan.[8]
Han invitedPresidentNazarbayev to visit South Korea in 2007 on behalf of President Roh,[8] and on 25 September, after talking to Nazarbayev, she announced to the press that he had accepted and expressed hope that the trip would help to increase cooperation in the petrochemical industry, information technology and education.[9]
Han andShavkat Mirziyoyev, thePrime Minister of Uzbekistan, met inTashkent, Uzbekistan on 25 September 2006. They signed several agreements, including one deal in which Uzbekistan will send 300 tons of Uzbekuranium ore to South Korea every year from 2010 to 2014. The deal bypasses U.S. companies that acted previously as middlemen for South Korean imports of Uzbek uranium ore. Han also met withPresidentIslam Karimov and parliament speakerErkin Khalilov. Han and Mirziyoyev boosted cooperation in the energy, agriculture, construction, architecture, and information technology sectors. Trade between South Korea and Uzbekistan increased by nearly 40% between 2005 and 2006, to $565 million.[10]
Han resigned from her position as prime minister on March 7, 2007, amidst speculation that she would run in the December 2007 presidential elections. After the informal meeting with former justice ministerKang Kum-Sil just before her resignation, Han said she would continue as a legislator and think about running for president.[11]
In 2007, Han ran for the party presidential candidacy but did not succeed in the nominations. She endorsedChung Dong-young. In 2008, she ran for re-election to parliament, but was defeated by a candidate ofGrand National Party.In 2010, she declared to run for Seoul's Mayor position, but was very narrowly defeated byOh Se-hoon ofGNP by less than one percentage point.
On the first congress of theDemocratic United Party on 15 January 2012, Han was voted chairwoman of the supreme council of the party with 24.5 per cent support rate. The liberal party was created by a merger of theDemocratic Party with the minor Citizens Unity Party, and is South Korea's main oppositional force.[12][13][14] Han was elected to parliament in the April legislative elections, but the liberals did not manage to oust the ruling party and Han stepped down as DUP head on 16 April 2012. For three months the leaders of the two major Korean parties were women: Park Geun-hye of the Grand National Party and Han Myeong-sook for the DUP.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Minister of Gender Equality 2001–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of the Environment 2003–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of South Korea 2006–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Leaders (acting) | |
|---|---|
| Presidential candidates (Presidents) | |
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| Related articles | |
Candidates in the2007 South Korean presidential election | ||||||||
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| Liberals (Pro-Govt Primary) |
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| Conservatives (GNP Primary) |
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| Progressives (DLP Primary) |
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Official candidates insmall caps | ||||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
