Martin Uden was born and educated in Britain where he attended London University (LL.B) and was called to the Bar in 1977.

He has served twice before in the British Embassy in Seoul, from 1978 to 1981 as Second Secretary, and from 1994 to 1997 as Political Counsellor.

He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London in 1977.  In London, he has been responsible at different times for nuclear non-proliferation, Japan, Yugoslavia and Albania and for the CSCE.  He has also served in UK Trade & Investment Headquarters as International Director of the inward investment operation.

Apart from postings in Seoul, he has also served in the British Embassy in Bonn (1986-1990), in the British High Commission in Ottawa (1997-2001) and most recently as British Consul-General in San Francisco.

Martin is married to Fiona (whom he met in Seoul) and has two sons. Drawing on his Korean expertise, he published "Times Past in Korea" in 2003, an anthology of travellers' accounts of Korea.

He took up his appointment as British Ambassador in Seoul in February 2008.