International Contractors Association of Korea (ICAK) Chairman Han Man-hee speaks during an extraordinary general meeting of the association's members at the ICAK headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of ICAK

The International Contractors Association of Korea (ICAK) held an extraordinary general meeting of its members, Thursday, to appoint former Vice Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Han Man-hee as the 20th chairman to lead the association over the next three years.

ICAK was established in 1976 to advocate Korean construction firms doing business overseas.

It has gathered and analyzed data from the international construction market over the past five decades, aiding Korean construction firms in expanding their global presence.

Han, who passed the exam to become a government official in 1980, started his career at the now-defunct Ministry of Construction and Transport.

He had handled construction, housing and land policies at the ministry for more than 30 years.

After serving as the administrator of the National Agency for Administrative City Construction between 2010 and 2011, he was appointed as the first vice minister of land, transport and maritime affairs, who is tasked with supervising overseas construction projects.

The ministry disbanded in 2013 with the establishment of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

In 2013, he left the government to become a professor at the University of Seoul's International School of Urban Sciences, where he studies global construction, urban infrastructure development, and international development cooperation.

"Uncertainties are surrounding overseas construction due to the global trade war, unstable international politics, and concerns over a potential U.S. economic recession," Han said in his inaugural address.

"I feel great responsibility as I took on this important role as the ICAK chairman at this critical time when the overseas construction industry has been forced to find new breakthroughs amid a paradigm shift to highly value-added and eco-friendly projects."

He also vowed to urge relevant government institutions to implement measures that would assist Korean construction firms in securing more overseas contracts, especially amid intense competition from global rivals.

The government aims to achieve $1 trillion in cumulative overseas construction orders this year. It is focusing on securing large-scale contracts in the Middle East, as well as in countries like the Czech Republic, which are seeking the construction of nuclear reactors.

"Han is expected to enable Korean construction firms to improve their business overseas, based on his experience and keen interest in overseas construction projects," a construction industry official said.