Moon jae in biography

And then, on 9 May 2017 - more than two decades after he helped lead the country to its first democratic elections - Mr Moon was voted in as president.

Finding a way forward with North Korea has been high on his to-do list and his chance to pursue this ambition came in January 2018.

In his New Year speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced his country might take part in the upcoming South Korea Olympics. The talks that followed then led to the plans for the third ever inter-Korean summit and for talks between US President Trump and Mr Kim in the next months.

The rapid and largely unexpected rapprochement with the North will likely mark his presidency. While Mr Moon's political gamble is not without risks, it is also seen as the president's chance at leaving a historic legacy.

In a book released last year, the president revealed he still dreamed of returning to his parent's North Korean home town, Hungnam.

"I was thinking I wanted to finish my life there in Hungnam doing pro bono service," he wrote. "When peaceful reunification comes, the first thing I want to do is to take my 90-year-old mother and go to her home town."

President of South Korea from 2017 to 2022

In this Korean name, the family name is Moon.

Moon Jae-in (Korean: 문재인, pronounced[mun.dʑɛ.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 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.

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 which Park was aided by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

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 USpresidentDonald Trump at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Moon favors the Sunshine Policy, a peaceful Korean reunification. On economic policy, he favors reform of chaebols (conglomerates), raised the minimum wage by more than 16%,^[1

(1953-)

Who Is Moon Jae-in?

Moon Jae-in is a South Korean politician who currently serves as the President of South Korea. After spending his early years in poverty, he became a leader of student demonstrations while attending Kyung Hee University, and after two decades as a human rights lawyer, he joined the administration of President Roh Moo-hyun in 2002. Moon launched his own political career as a national assemblyman in 2012. Following the scandal that brought down his predecessor, Park Geun-hye, Moon was elected President of the Republic of Korea in May 2017.

Early Years

Moon Jae-in was born on Geoje Island, South Korea, on January 24, 1953. His parents, who had fled the North Korean communist regime, struggled to keep the family out of poverty; Moon has recounted the tale of being strapped to his mother's back as she sold eggs to make ends meet.

Despite the hardship, Moon proved a bright child, and he was accepted into the prestigious Gyeongnam Middle School in Busan. His activist leanings were sparked at Kyungnam High School and he later led protests against President Park Chung-hee while studying law at Kyung Hee University, resulting in his arrest at one demonstration.

Conscripted into the army's special forces, in 1976, Moon took part in "Operation Paul Bunyan," the response to the killing of two American soldiers in the Korean Demilitarized Zone. He returned to his studies and activism later in the decade, reportedly learning he had passed the bar exam after his arrest at another demonstration in 1980.

Moon maintained his academic excellence through the Judicial Research and Training Institute, graduating second in his class in 1982. However, he found he was disqualified from becoming a judge due to his extensive involvement with anti-government protests.

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