Moon Jae-in
Moon Jae-in (Korean: 문재인; Korean pronunciation: [mun.dʑɛ.in]; born 24 January 1953) is a South Korean retired politician who served as the 12th (19th election) president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. Prior to his presidency, he served as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs and Chief of Staff to President Roh Moo-hyun, Member of the National Assembly, and Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Moon Jae-in | |
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문재인 | |
Moon Jae-in in 2017 | |
| 12th President of South Korea | |
| In office 10 May 2017 – 9 May 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Hwang Kyo-ahn Yoo Il-ho (acting) Lee Nak-yeon Chung Sye-kyun Hong Nam-ki (acting) Kim Boo-kyum |
| Preceded by | Hwang Kyo-ahn (acting) Park Geun-hye |
| Succeeded by | Yoon Suk Yeol |
| Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea | |
| In office 9 February 2015 – 27 January 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Moon Hee-sang (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Kim Chong-in (interim) |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 30 May 2012 – 29 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Chang Je-won |
| Succeeded by | Chang Je-won |
| Constituency | Sasang (Busan) |
| Chief of Staff to the President | |
| In office 12 March 2007 – 24 February 2008 | |
| President | Roh Moo-hyun |
| Preceded by | Lee Byung-wan |
| Succeeded by | Yu Woo-ik |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 January 1953 Geoje, South Gyeongsang, South Korea |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Moon Yong-hyung (father) Kang Han-ok (mother) |
| Alma mater | Kyung Hee University (LLB) |
| Occupation |
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| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Signature | |
| Website | moonjaein.com 19president.pa.go.kr 19report.president.pa.go.kr |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Republic of Korea |
| Branch/service | Republic of Korea Army |
| Years of service | 1975–1978 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | Army Special Warfare Command |
| Battles/wars | Operation Paul Bunyan |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 문재인 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Mun Jaein |
| McCune–Reischauer | Mun Chaein |
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Born to North Korean refugees, Moon was raised in poverty in the southern port city of Busan. He excelled in school and studied law at Kyung Hee University. He became a lawyer and later involved in human rights activism with Roh Moo-hyun. He was imprisoned for organizing a protest against the Yushin Constitution. As a result of his work in human rights law, Moon was chosen to be the campaign manager for his longtime mentor Roh Moo-hyun in his successful bid for the 2002 presidential election. He served in Roh's administration in various official capacities. In 2012, Moon was a candidate for the Democratic United Party in the 2012 presidential election, in which he lost narrowly to Park Geun-hye in which Park was aided by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
During the 2017 presidential election, Moon was elected president as the Democratic Party of Korea candidate following the impeachment of Park Geun-hye and her subsequent removal. As president, Moon has achieved international attention for his meetings with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un at inter-Korean summits in April, May, and September 2018, making him the third South Korean president to meet their North Korean counterpart. On June 30, 2019, he met with both Kim and Donald Trump, then-president of the United States, at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Moon favors the Sunshine Policy, a peaceful Korean reunification. On economic policy, he favors reform of chaebols (conglomerates), has raised the minimum wage by more than 16 percent, and lowered the maximum workweek from 68 to 52 hours. During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, Moon has received praise domestically and internationally, and helped his party win a historic victory in the 2020 South Korean legislative election.