Hunter Biden is the second son of former President Joe Biden.

Anyone who has seen American news is likely familiar with the name Hunter Biden, but he has not run for office or made significant achievements in public service.

He is more of a businessman who has worked as a lawyer and in investment and consulting.

However, he is certainly not someone with a poor educational background. Born in 1970, he majored in history at Georgetown University and later graduated from Yale Law School.

Graduating from Yale Law School is honestly considered one of the elite paths in the U.S. It is often said to be more difficult than getting into Seoul National University's law school, indicating the intense competition.

After obtaining his law license, he worked at banks, law firms, and investment companies, and during the Bill Clinton administration, he also worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The issue is that despite his impressive resume, it is unclear what significant accomplishments Hunter Biden himself has achieved.

Given that his father was a prominent political figure, having served as both Vice President and President, questions have arisen about how much of the business opportunities Hunter received were due to the Biden name.

The most notable example is his involvement with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Hunter joined the board of Burisma in 2014 and received substantial compensation.

At that time, his father, Joe Biden, was serving as Vice President and played a key role in U.S. policy towards Ukraine.

Since Hunter was not a recognized expert in energy or Ukraine, the question of "why was the Vice President's son appointed to the board?" led to significant conflict of interest concerns.

This became a politically troublesome issue for Joe Biden.

However, there is a distinction to be made here.

While Republicans have long raised allegations of corruption, a former FBI informant who provided the key claim that Hunter received $5 million in bribes later admitted that the story was false. Therefore, the issue of whether Hunter's employment at Burisma appeared inappropriate is not the same as proving Joe Biden accepted bribes.

However, the personal issues of Hunter that have already been reported in the media are much clearer.

He has publicly stated that he struggled with serious life problems due to long-term addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine. This ultimately led to criminal cases.

In 2018, when purchasing a firearm, he answered federal paperwork indicating he was not an illegal drug user or addict, but prosecutors charged him with having been using drugs at that time.

In 2024, a jury found him guilty on three felony charges related to firearm purchases.

The tax issues were even more significant. Hunter admitted guilt on three felony and six misdemeanor charges related to federal tax matters from 2016 to 2019.

According to prosecutors, the unpaid taxes amounted to at least $1.4 million.

The core of the prosecution's case was that he earned income but failed to pay taxes properly, using large sums for personal expenses.

Finally, the case that became the biggest political burden for his father was the pardon.

Joe Biden stated multiple times during his presidency that he would not pardon his son, but in December 2024, he ultimately granted Hunter a broad presidential pardon.

The scope of the pardon covered federal crimes from January 2014 to December 2024.

Biden claimed that his son faced politically selective and unfair prosecution, but criticism arose not only from Republicans but also from some Democrats.

So, summarizing Hunter Biden, he is a somewhat peculiar figure.

An elite who graduated from Georgetown and Yale Law, but it is hard to see any special achievements that would leave his name in American history.

Rather, he is remembered more for the controversies surrounding the Burisma board, the conflict of interest regarding his father's political status and his business connections, drug addiction, guilty verdicts related to firearms, tax crime admissions, and ultimately, his father's presidential pardon.

Thus, Hunter Biden is seen as a figure who has imposed a continuous political burden on his father due to overlapping personal and legal issues.