Song Min-soon

Song Minsoon
송민순
Member of the National Assembly of South Korea

Assumed office
May 30, 2008

Member of the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee
34th Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of Korea
In office
December 1, 2006  February 29, 2008
President Roh Moo-hyun
Preceded by Ban Ki-moon
Succeeded by Yu Myung-hwan
National Security Advisor,
Republic of Korea
In office
January, 2006  November, 2006
President Roh Moo-hyun
Succeeded by Baek Jong-chun
Personal details
Born (1948-07-28) 28 July 1948
Jinyang (present-day Jinju), Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea
Nationality Republic of Korea
Political party Democratic Party
Alma mater Seoul National University (B.A.)
Religion Roman Catholicism
Korean name
Hangul 송민순
Hanja 宋旻淳
Revised Romanization Song Min-sun
McCune–Reischauer Song Minsun
This is a Korean name; the family name is Song.

Song Minsoon (born July 28, 1948 in Jinyang, present-day Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea) is a Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and serves on the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee (2008–present). Previously, he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2006–2008) and the National Security Adviser (2006) of the Republic of Korea. As a career diplomat for over thirty years, Song has participated in numerous negotiations, including the Korean Peace Talks in Geneva (1999), the revised Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) negotiations between the United States and Korea (1989–1991, 1999–2001), and the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear program as Chief Negotiator of South Korea, thus spearheading the landmark Joint Statement of September 19, 2005.

Song has therefore contributed enormously to the peace and stability of the Korean peninsular and East Asian region throughout this career, and continues to do so through dedicated public service in the legislature to this day.

Early life (1948-1975)

Born in Jinyang (present-day Jinju) in 1948, Song studied at Masan High School and received his B.A. in German Literature from Seoul National University in 1975. He served in the Army for three years, completing his military service before graduation, and passed the Korean foreign service exam in 1975.

Work in government (September 1975–February 2008)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1975-2006)

Song Minsoon as chief South Korean negotiator at the Six-Party Talks in 2005

As a young diplomat, Song had his first foreign posting in Germany. Subsequently, he had the opportunity to work around the globe through assignments in India, the United States, Singapore, and Poland.

Between 1989 and 1991, Song participated in the successful completion of the First Revised Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States and Korea.

As Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau, Song headed the Second U.S.-Korea Revised SOFA negotiations (1999–2000), successfully improving upon the previous agreement in seven fields, including environmental protection and criminal trial procedures.

In December 2000, Song led the U.S.-Korea Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) negotiations, and in March 2001, he was appointed ROK's Ambassador to the Republic of Poland.

As Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, Song was Chief Negotiator to the Six-Party Talks. His efforts helped produce what has now become the quintessential blueprint for achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula: the Joint Statement of September 19, 2005. The following are the main achievements of the Statement:

Through these top diplomatic assignments and achievements, Song made a lasting impact on the furtherance of Korean diplomacy and the international effort to denuclearize North Korea.

National Security Adviser (2006)

In January 2006, President Roh Moo-hyun appointed Song as his National Security Adviser. During his time as National Security Adviser, Song was accredited to have successfully handled two major foreign policy crises: North Korea's missile launching incident in July and its first nuclear test in October.

Song Minsoon with former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2007
Song Minsoon with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in 2007

34th Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2006-2008)

In December 2006, Song was appointed the 34th Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea. He succeeded Ban Ki-moon and cooperated with world-wide leaders to drive forward the Six-Party Talks. Significantly, Song's leadership helped achieve the Initial Actions for Implementation of the Joint Statement, issued on Tuesday February 13, 2007. This was heralded as one of the most significant milestones in the international effort to denuclearize North Korea and bring peace to the Korean peninsular. The major points in the agreement were that:

This Joint Statement led to the shutting-down of North Korea's plutonium producing plant at Yongbyon in July. In October, Pyongyang started to disable the Yongbyon plant by removing eight thousand fuel rods from the nuclear reactor.[1]

Another significant achievement while Song was in office was the conclusion of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) in 2007. This is the largest FTA that Korea has signed with a single country, and the first U.S. FTA to be signed with a major Asian economy. The FTA now stands pending in the legislatures of both sides of the pacific.

Work in the National Assembly (June 2008-present)

Song Minsoon introducing a draft act on Korean participation in United Nations Peace Keeping Operations to the National Assembly of South Korea in 2009

Elected to the 18th National Assembly in June 2008, Song now serves on the Foreign Affairs, Trade & Unification Committee. As a new member of the National Assembly, he has been promoting legal reforms that address important foreign policy challenges, such as improving Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA) policies and streamlining procedures for a more rapid deployment of Korean UN PKO forces. Another major area of interest has been the settlement of North Korean defectors in South Korea who are currently not receiving adequate vocational training. As a corrective, Song has proposed that current laws mandating an eight-week training period be revised to provide for at least one year of diversified and specialized training programs.

His major legislations so far have been:

In seeking to enhance Korea's global standing and accelerate inter-Korean reconciliation, Song continues to collaborate with colleagues within and without the National Assembly in a principled and bipartisan manner. He hopes that these efforts will ultimately pave the way for creating a reunified nation that is democratic, market-oriented, denuclearized, and friendly to all neighbors.

See also

References

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Ban Ki-moon
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea
2006–2008
Succeeded by
Yu Myung-hwan
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