Since taking office on May 10, 2017, Moon Jae-in has served as South Korea’s 12th and current president. He led the Minjoo Party of Korea’s opposition from 2015 to 2016 before declaring for president. Prior to that, he ran for president in 2012 as the Democratic United Party’s candidate, a race he narrowly lost. He was a lawyer by trade and over the course of his legal career met and began working with the future President, Roh Moo Hyun. Together with Roh, a fellow attorney, Moon frequently took on matters concerning civil rights and human rights concerns. Moon managed Roh’s presidential campaign when he was running. Moon was appointed as Roh’s chief of staff after his victory. Though originally uninterested in politics, Moon quickly got deeply active in the national political scene, and a few years later, he won the Democratic United Party’s presidential candidacy for the 2012 election. He kept up his political involvement even after losing the election. Moon had been seen as the favorite to win Korea’s next presidential election after Park Geun-impeachment hye’s in December 2016. On May 10, 2017, Moon, a Minjoo Party candidate, won the presidency of South Korea over Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party and Hong Jun-Pyo of Liberty Korea.
Early Childhood & Life
The oldest of Moon Yong-Hyung and Kang Han-five ok’s children, Moon Jae-in was born on January 24, 1953, in Geoje, South Korea. His father escaped his home city of Hamhung during the Hamhung Retreat and came to South Korea as a refugee. South Hamgyeong Province is now in North Korea.
After some time, Moon’s family relocated to Busan, where he attended Kyungnam High School. He was an excellent student who was passionate about topics relating to human rights.
He attended Kyunghee University to study law after finishing high school. He started staging student protests and became politically active during this period. He once orchestrated an anti-Yushin Constitution protest, which resulted in his imprisonment and expulsion from the institution.
He was drafted into the military as a teen. He took part in a military assignment as a Special Forces soldier during the Axe murder event.
He resumed his legal studies after being discharged and passed the bar exam. The Judicial Research and Training Institute then accepted him, and he eventually graduated there with a high rank. However, because of his background in student activity, he was not regarded as qualified to serve as a judge or government prosecutor. Moon decided to pursue a career in law as a result.
Moon Jae’s Career
Moon Jae-in, an idealist at heart, began practicing law in the area of human rights. Over the course of his legal career, he grew close to Roh Moo Hyun, a fellow young attorney. The men frequently took on cases involving civil and human rights concerns.
He frequently defended students and labor activists who were persecuted during the military regime because he was once a student activist himself. He was also the Busan Bar’s Chairman of Human Rights and a member of Minbyun.
Roh, a close friend of Moon’s, aggressively entered politics over time. He chose Moon his campaign manager when he made the decision to run for president in 2002. Roh triumphed in the end.
When Roh was elected president, Moon became his close advisor and chief of staff. Moon had previously had no interest in entering politics, but Roh’s triumph caused that to alter, and Moon too started to participate in politics.
The moon filled a number of significant positions during the Roh presidency. He was Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs from 2003 to 2004, Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Society from May 2004 to January 2005, and once more Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs from January 2005 to May 2006. Moon was appointed Chairperson of the Promotion of the Second North-South Korea Summit in August 2007.
Moon increased his political activity during the next years and developed a reputation for being pro-democracy and anti-corruption. He received 55% of the vote in 2012 and was elected to represent the Democratic United Party in Busan’s Sasang District.
In the 2012 presidential election, Moon faced off against Park Geun-Hye of the Liberty Korea Party and independent software tycoon Ahn Cheol-soo as the Democratic United Party’s presidential nominee. In the end, Park prevailed over Moon and won.
In February 2015, Moon, who had remained politically active, was chosen as the head of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, which is now known as the Minjoo Party of Korea. He held this role for a full calendar year.
South Koreans were growing more and more disappointed with Park Geun-administration he’s at the same time. On grounds of a corruption scandal, the National Assembly impeached her in December 2016. The Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment on March 10, 2017, and Park was ejected from his position as president.
South Korea was required to hold a presidential election within 60 days of Park’s impeachment. In the 2017 presidential election, Moon was the Minjoo Party of Korea’s candidate. He won the election held on May 9, 2017, and on May 10 he took office as president.
Moon’s Bigger Works
Moon Jae-in, a former human rights attorney, is well-known for his support of democracy. Moon has been actively involved in eradicating official corruption and is well-respected for his clean and untainted reputation. Moon served under President Roh in a variety of significant positions, including Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, Chief Secretary of the President, and Chairperson of the Promotion of the 2nd North-South Korea Summit.
Personal Legacy & Life
Kim Jeong-suk is married to Moon Jae-in. Moon Da-Hye is a daughter, and Moon Joon-Yong is a son of the couple.
Estimated Net Worth
One of the wealthiest and most well-liked politicians is Moon Jae-in. According to our research, Moon Jae-in is worth $5 million according to Forbes, Wikipedia, and Business Insider.