Hong Seok-hyun
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- This is a Korean name; the family name is Hong.
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Hong Seok-hyun (b. 1949) is a noted figure in South Korean business. He served as South Korea's ambassador to the United States from December 2004 until his resignation on July 26, 2005. The resignation was sparked by media reports that he was involved in a 1997 scheme by Samsung to bribe various politicians including Grand National Party leader Lee Hoi-chang, by providing financial support to them in the South Korean presidential election of 1997.
Prior to his ambassadorial appointment, Hong was the publisher of the Joong-Ang Ilbo, a newspaper closely associated with Samsung. He began serving in that capacity in 1994. From 2002 to 2004, he was also the president of the World Association of Newspapers, and was the first person from Asia to hold that post.
Hong graduated from Kyunggi High School in 1968. He received a bachelor's degree in engineering from Seoul National University in 1972, and a master's in the field from Stanford University in 1978. He went on to acquire a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford in 1980. Thereafter he served in various policy positions, first with the World Bank, then with the Korean government. He joined Samsung in 1986.
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Hong's reflections on the ambassadorial appointment, February 2005
