Kim Jong-hoon (born 5 May 1952) is a South Korean diplomat and politician who served as a parliamentarian and Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.[1] He played a major role in the South Korea–United States Free Trade Agreement.
Born in Daegu, he entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974. He worked for Korean embassies in France, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Canada, and the United States. He then served as the Korean representative to internation organizations in Geneva, such as the WTO.
During the presidency of Roh Moo-hyun, he began working on FTA negotiations between South Korea and the United States. Partly due to his efforts, the negotiations came through, forming the South Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement. After the negotiations, he served as chairman of UNESCAP in 2008 and 2010.
In 2012, he won a parliamentary race in the Seoul Gangnam B district as a member of the conservative Saenuri Party. He served on several party committees during his four-year term. He lost re-election to his seat in 2016, being defeated by Jeon Hyun-hee of the Democratic Party.[2]