Han Duk-soo, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States, will deliver a public lecture at Brown University, titled “Korea-U.S. Relations: Past, Present and Future,” at 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, 2010.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Han Duk-soo, the South Korean ambassador to the United States, will deliver the Chong Wook Lee and Vartan Gregorian Distinguished Lecture at Brown University on Monday, Sept. 20, 2010. His lecture, titled “Korea-U.S. Relations: Past, Present and Future,” will begin at 3 p.m. in Pembroke Hall, Room 305, 172 Meeting St. It is free and open to the public.

An advocate of a greater role for Asia in global policy and of a breakthrough in trade relations between the United States and Korea, Han will speak about how he expects the dynamics of trade and the global economy to play out in the future. He will be introduced by Brown University’s trustee emeritus and newest professor-at-large William R. Rhodes, a renowned international financial diplomat.

Han was appointed ambassador of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) on March 20, 2009. He served as prime minister from 2007-09 and deputy prime minister from 2005-07, during which time he was also minister of finance and economy. Han was previously a senior secretary and secretary to the president for economic affairs; ambassador of the Korean Permanent Delegation to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development; minister for trade at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; vice minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; and commissioner of the Korean Industrial Property Office.

In addition, Han served in various positions in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Ministry of Trade and Industry, including assistant minister for international trade, assistant minister for planning and management, director-general of the Electronics and Information Industry Bureau, director-general of the Industrial Policy Bureau, director-general of the Small and Medium Enterprise Bureau, director of the Bureau of Machinery Industry, and director of the Bureau of Industry Policy.

Han graduated from the Department of Economics at Seoul National University and holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in economics from Harvard University.

Chong Wook Lee and Vartan Gregorian Distinguished Lecture

Administered by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies, the annual Chong Wook Lee and Vartan Gregorian Distinguished Lecture aims to increase understanding of global issues related to Korean and Far-East history and culture. Previous lecturers have included Ambassador Christopher Hill; Professor Deborah Klimburg-Salte; Professor Hagen Koo; Ambassador In-ho Lee; Professor Chung-in Moon; George Soros; and Professor Young-Kwan Yoon.

This event is co-hosted by the Watson Institute for International Studies and the William R. Rhodes Center for International Economics and Finance.