[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 29, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E98]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING DR. HAN SEUNG-SOO ON HIS NOMINATION AS PRIME MINISTER OF 
                         THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 29, 2008

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer 
congratulations to my friend, Dr. Han Seung-soo, on his nomination as 
the next Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea by President-Elect Lee 
Myung-Bak.
  Dr. Han, currently serving as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-
General on Climate Change, has had a long and distinguished career in 
public service. He has previously served as South Korea's Deputy Prime 
Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy, Minister of Foreign 
Affairs and Trade, Minister of Trade and Industry, Ambassador to the 
United States, and Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of 
Korea. He served three terms in the South Korean National Assembly and 
thus has been, like us, a member of his country's legislature.
  Moreover, in recognition of his exemplary record as a diplomat, Dr. 
Han was also elected President of the 56th session of the UN General 
Assembly in 2001. He was to be officially elected to the presidency on 
the fateful morning of September 11, 2001 but was, instead, sworn in on 
the next day. His leadership was instrumental in the passage of a 
resolution by the UN General Assembly session denouncing the terrorist 
attacks. He wrote about these experiences in his new book entitled 
``Beyond the Shadow of 9-11: A Year at the United Nations General 
Assembly.'' He recently sent me a signed copy of his memoirs, which I 
greatly appreciate.
  Over the years, Dr. Han and I have crossed paths on more than one 
occasion due to our mutual interest in international environmental 
policy and, in particular, the issues surrounding global climate 
change. As chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Global Environment, I have 
always been personally impressed by Dr. Han's depth and breadth of 
knowledge, his ability to listen to people with different--and 
sometimes technically complex--ideas, and his capacity for synthesizing 
the best of available knowledge for eventual decisionmaking.
  Last November, speaking in Bangkok at the Committee on Managing 
Globalization of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for 
Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP, Dr. Han noted the need for rapid economic 
growth in Asia and the Pacific--home to two-thirds of the world's poor. 
However, he pointed out, actions on climate change could be compatible 
with economic growth, saying: ``We can turn the crisis of climate 
change into a new economic opportunity.''
  The choice of Dr. Han Seung-soo to be Prime Minister by President-
Elect Lee Myung-Bak provides excellent evidence that the U.S.-Korea 
alliance partnership will continue to further consolidate and deepen 
under their leadership. During Dr. Han's tenures as both the Republic 
of Korea's Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United States, he 
cultivated many friends and admirers in Washington.
  Let me also take this opportunity to say that I am pleased to be an 
original cosponsor of the resolution congratulating Lee Myung-Bak on 
his election to the presidency of the Republic of Korea. I look forward 
to working with his incoming administration on the important challenges 
facing the region, especially peace and reconciliation on the Korean 
peninsula.
  Madam Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will join me in offering 
their own congratulations to Dr. Han Seung-soo and wish him well in his 
new responsibilities.

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