Kim Hyun-jong

Kim Hyun-jong (Korean: 김현종, born September 27, 1959 in Seoul) is a former minister for trade in Roh Moo-hyun administration and is currently the 21th UN ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea.

From May 2003, the very beginning of Roh administration, as the deputy minister for trade and later the minister for trade, he was one of the most central figures in Roh administration's trade policy for more than 4 years. In particular, he initiated numerous free trade agreement(FTA) plans or talks with including Canada, India(CEPA), Mexico, MERCOSUR, GCC, Singapore, EFTA, ASEAN, and USA. The FTAs with Singapore, EFTA, ASEAN, and USA had been signed before he moved to UN. These 4 blocks and Chile(the first nation with which South Korean signed FTA) compose 25.78% of all South Korean trade(according to data in 2006).

He is married with two sons.

Publications

* The Trend of Block Economy and NAFTA (1995)
* When are Government Loans Subsidies? Hanbo Steel and the Application of the WTO Subsidies Agreement (1998)

ee also

* U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement
* List of Free Trade Agreements

External links

* [http://www.mofat.go.kr/introduction/organized/abroad/index4.jsp?TabMenu=TabMenu4 Links to CV's of South Korean ambassadors]