Moon Jae-in
Moon Jae-in 문재인 文在寅 | |
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| Born | 24 January 1953 |
| Alma mater | Kyung Hee University |
| Political party | Democratic United Party |
| Spouse | Kim Jung-suk |
| Children | Jun-yong Da-hye |
| Signature | |
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| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 문재인 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Mun Jae-in |
| McCune–Reischauer | Mun Chaein |
Moon Jae-in (born January 24, 1953) is a South Korean lawyer and the former chief of staff to late President Roh Mu-hyun. On September 16, 2012, Moon was elected as the Democratic United Party's candidate for the 2012 presidential elections after winning a majority in the party primaries.
Early life and education
Born in Geoje, South Korea, Moon Jae-in was the first son. His father was a refugee from North Korea fled his native city of Hamhung during the Hamhung Retreat. His father settled in Geoje as a laborer for Geoje POW Camp. He attended Kyungnam High School, considered among the most prestigious school outside Seoul. He enrolled to Kyunghee University majoring in law. He was arrested and expelled from the university when he organized a student protest against Yushin Constitution. Later, he was forcibly conscripted to the military and recruited to the Special Forces where he participated in a military mission during the Axe murder incident. After discharge, he passed the Bar Exam and was admitted to the Judicial Research and Training Institute. He graduated second in the institute and despite his superb academic record, he was not admitted to become a judge due to his student protests. He chose to become a lawyer instead.
Career
Human Rights Attorney
He opened a partnership with Roh Moo Hyun who was nearly seven years senior in Busan which became Busan Law Firm. They have been best friends ever since. Along with Roh, he took cases involving human rights and civil rights issues. He was a member of Minbyun and the chairman of human rights at Busan Bar.
Hankyoreh
He was a founding member of the progressive South Korean newspaper, The Hankyoreh, in 1988.[1]
Roh's Campaign
Due to Roh's insistence, he became the campaign manager for presidential candidate Roh.
Roh's Administration
After Roh's victory, Moon became Roh's close aide and chief of staff.
Roh's Death
When the prosecutors began investigating Roh's corruption charges, Moon was the legal counsel to Roh. When Roh threw himself to death, Moon was in charge of the funerals and handling his matters. His exposure to the public as poised and trusty aide impressed the public and many liberals in Korea found Moon to be the attractive candidate against the conservative Park Geun-hye.
Entrance to Politics
Despite his earlier indifference to politics, he changed his reluctance and began to get involved in the politics. He published a memoir called "The Destiny of Moon Jae-in" which became a bestseller.[2] His popularity has been rising steady against the likely opponent in the presidential race, if he chooses to run. For instance, in February 2012 Poll, Moon managed to gain parity with Park in popularity.[3] Moon managed to capitalise on the conservatives' decline in popularity amid a series of corruption scandals as one pundit said "Moon had managed to portray himself as a moderate and rational leader who has the backing of the younger generation".[4] In early 2012, Moon entered a bid for a seat at National Assembly and has been campaigning in western Busan.
Personal
- He is a Roman Catholic.
Experience
- May 2012 - Member of National Assembly for Sasang-gu, Busan
- August 2007 - Chairperson of the Promotion of the 2nd North-South Korea Summit
- March 2007 ~ February 2008 - Chief Secretary of the President
- January 2005 ~ May 2006 - Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs
- May 2004 ~ January 2005 - Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Society
- 2003 ~ February 2004 - Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs