Moon Jae-in
Moon Jae-in | |
|---|---|
문재인 | |
Moon in 2025 | |
| 12th President of South Korea | |
| In office 10 May 2017 – 10 May 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Yoo Il-ho (acting) Lee Nak-yon Chung Sye-kyun Hong Nam-ki (acting) Kim Boo-kyum |
| Preceded by | Park Geun-hye Hwang Kyo-ahn (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Yoon Suk Yeol |
| 2nd Leader of the Democratic Party | |
| 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 – 25 February 2008 | |
| President | Roh Moo-hyun |
| Preceded by | Lee Byung-wan |
| Succeeded by | Yu Woo-ik |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 January 1953 Geoje, 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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| Signature | |
| Website | moonjaein.com 19president.pa.go.kr 19report.president.pa.go.kr |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | South 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 | 文在寅 |
| RR | Mun Jaein |
| MR | Mun Chaein |
| IPA | [mun.dʑɛ.in] ⓘ |
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| Media gallery | ||
| This article is part of a series on |
| Liberalism in South Korea |
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Moon Jae-in (born 24 January 1953) is a South Korean politician and former lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. Before his presidency, he served as the senior secretary for civil affairs and the chief of staff to President Roh Moo-hyun, a member of the National Assembly, and the Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Born to North Korean refugees, Moon was raised in poverty in Busan. He excelled in school and studied law at Kyung Hee University. He became a lawyer and was 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 Roh's campaign manager in 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, which he lost to Park Geun-hye.
In the 2017 presidential election, Moon was elected president as the Democratic Party of Korea candidate after Park Geun-hye was impeached and removed from office. As president, Moon received 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 US president Donald Trump at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). During his presidency, Moon favored the Sunshine Policy, a peaceful approach to Korean reunification. On economic policy, he favored reform of chaebols (conglomerates), raised the minimum wage by more than 16%, and lowered the maximum workweek from 68 to 52 hours. During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, Moon received praise domestically and internationally. His party won a historic victory in the 2020 South Korean legislative election. However, his party lost the next presidential election, making him the first president since South Korea's democratization in 1987 to transfer power to the opposition after a single term. He left office in May 2022, succeeded by his former prosecutor general, Yoon Suk Yeol.