Who is Moon Jae-In - The President of South Korea

Although living in poverty since childhood he proved talent and attend Kyung Hee University following the learning of law. He actively joined in the student movement against the authoritarian regime of President Park Chung-Hee. He was expelled and briefly imprisoned for his activism. In May 2017 after the scandal that brought down his predecessor, Park Geun-hye, Moon was elected President of the Republic of Korea.

Moon Jae-In's biography

President of South Korea Moon Jae-in (Photo: Time News)

Moon Jae-in born 24 January 1953 is a South Korean politician who is currently the Minjoo Party of Korea's nominee in the 2017 presidential election.

Moon’s parents were refugees who fled North Korea ahead of the 1950 Chinese winter offensive during the Korean War. They were among the 100,000 civilians evacuated from Hŭngnam, North Korea, during “Christmas Cargo,” a massive sealift that marked the conclusion of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. Moon was born at a refugee relocation centre on Geoje, an island southwest of Pusan (Busan). His family moved to Pusan, and it was there that Moon spent his childhood.

He entered Kyung Hee University in Seoul in 1972 and Moon Jae-in is a South Korean politician who currently serves as the President of South Korea. Although living in poverty since childhood he proved talent and attend Kyung Hee University following the learning of law. He actively joined in the student movement against the authoritarian regime of President Park Chung-Hee. He was expelled and briefly imprisoned for his activism. In May 2017 after the scandal that brought down his predecessor, Park Geun-hye, Moon was elected President of the Republic of Korea.

In 1975 Moon was conscripted into the South Korean army, in which he served as a special forces commando. In August 1976 two U.S. Army officers were murdered by North Korean troops during a routine tree-trimming exercise in the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

Moon participated in Operation Paul Bunyan, the subsequent massive show of force that accompanied the complete removal of the tree. After completing his military service in 1978, Moon returned to his studies and earned a law degree from Kyung Hee University in 1980. In 1982 he established a legal practice in Pusan with his friend and future South Korean president Roh Moo-Hyun. The pair specialized in matters of civil and human rights, and they worked to defend trade unionists and student activists who faced persecution under President Chun Doo-Hwan. With the restoration of democracy in 1987, Roh transitioned to politics while Moon continued his legal career.

PERSONAL LIFE OF MOON JAE IN

Moon is married in 1981 and has two children (a daughter and son).

Moon met his wife, singer Kim Jung-sook, while both attended Kyung Hee University.

He is a Roman Catholic.

From Lawyer to Top Political Aide

Around this time Moon met Roh Moo-hyun, another lawyer who shared many of the same values. They teamed up to run a Busan law firm that specialized in human rights, often taking on cases for students and low-wage laborers.

Moon continued with the practice after Roh left to launch a successful political career in 1987. In 2002, after Roh was elected South Korea's president, Moon again joined forces with his old friend, this time as senior secretary for civic affairs.

Although he later referenced his early awkwardness as a public servant, Moon capably adjusted to his new responsibilities. In 2004, he helped oversee the opening of Kaesong Industrial Park, a joint economic project between the North and South Korean governments. In 2007, he took over as Roh's chief of staff and was named chairperson of the promotion committee for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Path to the presidency

In 2012 Moon entered electoral politics for the first time, winning a seat in the National Assembly representing the Sasang district of Pusan. That December he was the Democratic United Party (DUP) candidate in the presidential contest against Park Geun-Hye, the daughter of Park Chung-Hee. Moon was narrowly defeated, but he remained active in politics at both the national and party level. In February 2015 he was named chairperson of the DUP’s successor, the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD). The day after Moon’s elevation to party chief, a South Korean appellate court ruled that the National Intelligence Service had orchestrated an illegal online whispering campaign against Park’s opponents prior to the 2012 presidential election. The court declined to comment on whether the interference had altered the outcome of the election. Moon chose not to run for reelection for his National Assembly seat in 2016.

An influence-peddling scandal engulfed the Park administration and the leaders of some of South Korea’s most powerful chaebols (family-controlled conglomerates) in 2016. Park was accused of extorting tens of millions of dollars from companies by threatening them with financial audits if they did not donate to charitable foundations operated by her friend, Choi Soon-Sil. As details of the scandal were uncovered, demonstrators called for Park’s resignation and staged the largest street protests since the restoration of democracy. Park’s Saenuri Party had lost its legislative majority in April 2016, and a resurgent Democratic Party (the successor to the NPAD) began to push for her removal. In December Park was impeached by an overwhelming majority, and on March 10, 2017, the Constitutional Court upheld that decision.

Park’s impeachment triggered a snap election, and Moon quickly emerged as the front-runner. Moon pledged to rein in the power of the chaebols, to sever the ties between government and business, and to adopt a more nuanced North Korea policy.