Han Myeong-sook facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Han Myeong-sook
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| 한명숙 | |
Han in 2006
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| Chairperson of the Democratic United Party | |
| In office 16 January 2012 – 12 April 2012 |
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| 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 |
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| President | Roh Moo-hyun |
| Preceded by | Lee Hae-chan Han Duck-soo (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Kwon O-kyu (Acting) Han Duck-soo |
| Minister for Environment | |
| In office 27 February 2003 – 16 February 2004 |
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| Prime Minister | Goh Kun |
| Preceded by | Kim Myung-ja |
| Succeeded by | Kwak Kyul-ho |
| Minister for Gender Equality | |
| In office 29 January 2001 – 26 February 2003 |
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| 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 | 24 March 1944 Heijō, Korea, Empire of Japan |
| 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(2015–present) |
| Spouse | Park Seong-jun |
| Alma mater | Ewha Womans University |
| Signature |  |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
한명숙
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| Hanja |
韓明淑
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| Revised Romanization | Han Myeongsuk |
| McCune–Reischauer | Han Myŏngsuk |
| Korean royal family (Cheongju Han clan) |
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Han Myeong-sook (Korean: 한명숙; born March 24, 1944) is an important South Korean politician. She made history as the first woman to serve as the prime minister of South Korea. Her term was from April 2006 to March 2007.
Han Myeong-sook was a member of the Korean National Assembly, which is like the parliament in South Korea. She studied French literature at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. After her time as prime minister, she ran for president but did not win the nomination. Later, in 2012, she became the leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic United Party.
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Early Career and Public Service
Han Myeong-sook was involved in activities that supported democracy. Because of these activities, she was imprisoned from 1979 to 1981. Years later, in 2001, a government committee officially cleared her name. They ruled that she had done nothing wrong.
In 1999, she officially joined politics by becoming a member of the National Congress for New Politics. The next year, in 2000, she was elected to the 16th Korean National Assembly. She was re-elected to the National Assembly in 2004.
Han Myeong-sook also served as a government minister. She was the first Minister of Gender Equality from 2001 to 2003. This role focused on making sure men and women had equal opportunities. After that, she was the Minister of Environment from 2003 to 2004. In this job, she worked on protecting South Korea's natural environment.
Becoming Prime Minister
On March 24, 2006, the previous prime minister resigned. President Roh Moo-hyun then chose Han Myeong-sook to be the next prime minister. This was a very important moment because she was the first woman ever nominated for this high position in South Korea.
On April 20, 2006, Han Myeong-sook officially took her oath of office. She became the first female Prime Minister of South Korea.
As Prime Minister: International Relations
During her time as prime minister, Han Myeong-sook worked to strengthen South Korea's relationships with other countries. She traveled to different nations to discuss cooperation and trade.
Working with Libya
Han Myeong-sook visited Libya in September 2006. Her visit helped to build stronger ties between South Korea and Libya.
Strengthening Ties with the UAE
In September 2006, Prime Minister Han also visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She met with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. She wanted to increase cooperation in areas like trade, technology, and tourism.
Han Myeong-sook noted that many South Korean companies had set up offices in Dubai. She also mentioned that UAE companies had invested a lot in South Korea. She hoped to see more South Korean investment in the UAE. She also wanted to sign a Free Trade Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
She also talked about gender equality in the UAE. She praised the efforts of leaders there to improve the status of women. She believed that each country should find its own way to develop democracy.
Cooperation with Kazakhstan
Prime Minister Han met with Daniyal Akhmetov, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, in September 2006. They signed agreements to improve economic connections. South Korea agreed to invest more in projects related to energy, mining, construction, and banking in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan also offered South Korea a chance to help develop new types of nuclear reactors. South Korean businesses already had investments in many companies in Kazakhstan. Han Myeong-sook invited the President Nazarbayev to visit South Korea.
Agreements with Uzbekistan
Han Myeong-sook also met with Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, in September 2006. They signed several important agreements. One deal involved Uzbekistan sending uranium ore to South Korea every year from 2010 to 2014.
They also agreed to work more closely in energy, farming, construction, and technology. Trade between South Korea and Uzbekistan had grown a lot in the years before her visit.
Resignation from Prime Ministership
Han Myeong-sook resigned from her role as prime minister on March 7, 2007. Many people thought she might run for president in the upcoming elections. She decided to continue serving as a legislator and consider her presidential candidacy.
After Being Prime Minister
In 2007, Han Myeong-sook tried to become her party's candidate for president but was not chosen. In 2008, she ran for re-election to the parliament but was not successful.
In 2010, she ran for the position of Mayor of Seoul. She was very close to winning but was narrowly defeated.
On January 15, 2012, Han Myeong-sook was voted chairwoman of the Democratic United Party. This party was formed by combining two other parties and became the main opposition party in South Korea. She was elected to parliament in the April 2012 elections. However, her party did not win enough seats to defeat the ruling party. Because of this, Han stepped down as the head of her party on April 16, 2012. For a short time, both major political parties in South Korea were led by women.
