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UNCLAS SEOUL 000178 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
C O R R E C T E D   C O P Y  (SENSITIVE CAPTION ADDED) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KN KS
SUBJECT: HAN SEUNG-SOO TAPPED AS LEE MYUNG-BAK'S FIRST 
PRIME MINISTER 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: President-elect Lee Myung-bak officially 
announced the nomination of Han Seung-soo, UN Special Envoy 
on Climate Change, as the first Prime Minister for his 
government.  Lee is said to have taken into account Han's 
extensive experience with state affairs and his credentials 
as a global leader.  His confirmation hearing motion will be 
submitted to the National Assembly soon, and will be voted on 
shortly after the inauguration on February 25.  End Summary. 
 
---------------- 
The Announcement 
---------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In a press conference on January 28, 
President-elect Lee Myung-bak officially nominated Dr. Han 
Seung-soo as the first Prime Minister for the incoming 
administration.  In the press announcement, President-elect 
Lee cited Han's global outlook and diverse experience at home 
and abroad.  Lee also referenced Han's work in previous 
administrations, which, Lee said, qualified Han to work well 
within the Cabinet, the government, and the international 
community.  Prime Minister-nominee Han referred to China's 
"resource diplomacy" and said he would work hard to turn 
Korea into a global nation.  Concerning some possible 
controversy surrounding his past involvement with the Chung 
Doo-hwan military government's Special Committee for National 
Security Measures, Han said that he was called on to take 
charge of financial matters in the economic crisis that 
followed President Park's death. 
 
---------------------- 
Biographic Information 
---------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Han has enjoyed a distinguished career over more 
than three decades with the political, governmental, and 
academic circles.  Born in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province in 
1936, Han earned his Bachelor's in political science and 
international relations from Yonsei University, a Master's in 
public administration from Seoul National University, and a 
Master's and a Doctorate in economics from York University in 
the U.K.  He has been a professor of economics at York 
University, Cambridge University, and Seoul National 
University for nearly 20 years, and he has lectured at 
Harvard University and Tokyo University.  He served 
ministerial posts three times in as many different 
administrations: Commerce and Industry Minister in the Roh 
Tae-woo government; Deputy Prime Minister and Finance & 
Economy Minister in the Kim Young-sam government; and Foreign 
Minister in the Kim Dae-jung government.  He also has worked 
as a financial advisor to the Venezuelan government, to the 
World Bank, and to the Jordanian government. 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) He entered the bureaucracy in 1987 as the first 
Chairman of the International Trade Committee of the Commerce 
& Industry Ministry.  He was then elected to the National 
Assembly the following year from his hometown district on the 
then ruling Democratic Justice Party ticket.  Since then he 
served in multiple posts in the Roh Tae-woo Administration as 
an international trade expert. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Subsequently in the Kim Young-sam Administration, 
Han served as the ROK Ambassador to the United States, 
Presidential Chief of Staff, and Deputy Prime Minister for 
Finance & Economy, from which he resigned after only seven 
months due to the Hanbo Steel bankruptcy case.  After a brief 
return to his professorial job, he tried to run in the 2000 
general elections for the National Assembly, but lost the 
Grand National Party nomination.  He quickly left the party 
and instead made a come-back by joining the minor Democratic 
People's Party. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) In the Kim Dae-jung Administration, Han mainly 
served in an international capacity, including as the Korea 
Committee Chairman at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), 
ROK Foreign Minister, and the UN General Assembly President. 
In the Roh Moo-hyun Administration, he served as the Chairman 
of the 2014 Pyongchang Winter Olympic Games Bidding Committee 
before being appointed the UN Special Envoy on Climate Change 
in May 2007. 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Some possible points of controversy at the upcoming 
confirmation hearings include his involvement with the Chun 
Doo-hwan government in the early 1980s, and his image as an 
opportunistic politician, given his frequent change in party 
affiliations. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Economic Credentials Will Shape Job 
----------------------------------- 
¶8.  (SBU) Given President-elect Lee's commitment to economic 
growth and Han's vast experience, the incoming prime minister 
will probably have an independent role in international and 
government affairs, especially important national agenda 
items such as energy and climate change, rather than working 
as a presidential assistant like previous prime ministers. 
In his statement immediately following the nomination, Han 
said that he believed the worsening external economic 
environment could be overcome by deregulation and more 
private sector investment.  As a dedicated advocate for 
market economy, Han has long supported a complete economic 
liberalization and deregulation to that end. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Appointment Helps Political Stability 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Han's nomination highlights President-elect Lee's 
strictly businesslike approach.  After over a month-long 
search, the President-elect apparently considered Han to be 
the one fit for multi-tasking in a global economic and 
diplomatic environment.  With both globally-oriented and 
business-oriented mindset, Han was considered the most 
qualified for the "resource diplomacy" with Russia, Africa, 
and the Middle East, as Lee's government will likely try to 
purse.  The fact that Lee has no personal connections with 
Han further shows the President-elect's focus on 
professionalism. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Han is distantly related to former GNP Chairperson 
Park Geun-hye through marriage. (NOTE: Han's wife is the 
niece of former First Lady Yook Young-soo, President Park 
Chung-hee's wife.  This makes Han a cousin by marriage to 
Park Geun-hye. END NOTE.) This made him an all the more 
attractive candidate, since the President-elect wanted to 
solidify party unity within the GNP in the run-up to the 
April 9 general elections by improving relations with the 
Park faction. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Another attraction was that Han hails from Gangwon 
Province, and graduated from Yonsei University, both of which 
would successfully offset Lee Myung-bak's regional support 
base (Gyeongsang Province and Seoul) and Korea University 
connections.  Han's age was once pointed out as a weak point, 
but his active presence demonstrated by his recent 
chairmanship of the Pyongchang Winter Olympic Bidding 
Committee rendered such concerns groundless. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) He is known to be gentle but also very precise at 
work.  He likes mountaineering.  He is married to Hong So-ja, 
former Vice President of the Korea Red Cross and current 
President of the Korea University Female Alumni Association, 
with one son and one daughter. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶13.  (SBU) President-elect Lee is said to have personally 
held in-depth interviews with around 20 likely candidates for 
Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers.  This is 
considered a radical departure from the customary practices 
of making a decision based mainly on government documents. 
Reactions of political parties sharply differed over the news 
of Han's nomination.  While the GNP remained positive and 
hopeful, other parties pointed to Han's past record with the 
authoritarian government, and indicated there would be a 
strict screening process at his confirmation hearing.  The 
Transition Team plans to submit Han's confirmation motion to 
the National Assembly today, and follow up with the naming of 
 
the Blue House Chief of Staff soon, as well as with other 
Blue House aides later this week. 
STANTON