South Korean politician (born 1948)
Song Min-soon (Korean: ; Hanja: ; born July 28, 1948) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2006 until 2008.
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).
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.
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.
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).
Elected to the 18th National Assembly in June 2008, Song now serves on the Foreign Affairs, Trade &amp; 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.
References.
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