Chung Sye-kyun

42nd Prime Minister of South KoreaIn office
14 January 2020 – 16 April 2021PresidentMoon Jae-inDeputyYoo Eun-hae
Hong Nam-kiPreceded byLee Nak-yeonSucceeded byHong Nam-ki (acting)
Kim Boo-kyumSpeaker of the National AssemblyIn office
9 June 2016 – 29 May 2018PresidentPark Geun-hye
Hwang Kyo-ahn (Acting)
Moon Jae-inDeputyShim Jae-chul
Park Joo-sunPreceded byChung Eui-hwaSucceeded byMoon Hee-sangMember of the National AssemblyIn office
30 May 1996 – 29 May 2004Preceded byHwang In-sungSucceeded byhimself
(as Jinan-Muju-Jangsu-Imsil)ConstituencyJinan–Muju–JangsuIn office
30 May 2004 – 29 May 2012Preceded byhimself
(as Jinan-Muju-Jangsu)
Kim Tai-shik
(as Wanju-Imsil)Succeeded byPark Min-sooConstituencyJinan–Muju–Jangsu–ImsilIn office
30 May 2012 – 29 May 2020Preceded byPark JinSucceeded byLee Nak-yeonConstituencyJongno-guChairman of the Democratic PartyIn office
7 July 2008 – 2 August 2010Preceded bySohn Hak-kyu and
Park Sang-chunSucceeded byPark Jie-won (acting)Chairman of the Uri PartyIn office
14 February 2007 – 20 August 2007Preceded byKim Geun-taeSucceeded byParty dissolvedMinister of Commerce, Industry and EnergyIn office
10 February 2006 – 1 March 2007PresidentRoh Moo-hyunPreceded byLee Hee-beomSucceeded byKim Young-joo Personal detailsBorn (1950-11-05) 5 November 1950 (age 73)
26 September 1950 of the lunisolar calendar^[1]
Jinan, North Jeolla, South KoreaPolitical partyDemocratic Party of Korea (until 2016, since 2018)Other political
affiliationsIndependent (2016–2018)
as Speaker of the National Assembly, as required by law.SpouseChoi Hye-kyung (최혜경)Residence(s)Jongno, SeoulAlma materKorea University (LL.B.)
Wagner, New York University (M.A.)
Pepperdine University (MBA)
Kyung Hee University (Ph.D.)SignatureKorean nameHangulHanjaRevised RomanizationJeong SegyunMcCune–ReischauerChŏng Segyun

Chung Sye-kyun (Korean: 정세균; Hanja: 丁世均; born 5 November 1950^[1]) is a South Korean politician who has served as Speaker of the National Assembly from 2016 to 2018 and Prime Minister of South Korea from 2020 to 2021.

He was previously leader of the main opposition Democratic Party between 2008 and 2010, and twice chairman of its predecessor, the Uri Party, first on an interim basis from October 2005 to January 2006 and then fully from February 2007 until the Uri Party's dissolution in August of that year.

On 9 June 2016, he was elected to a two-year term as the Speaker of the National Assembly. Upon becoming the Speaker, following the law that the Speaker cannot be a member of a party, he left the Democratic Party. His membership of the party was restored automatically when his term as Speaker expired on 29 May 2018.

Early life and education

Chung was born in the village of Donghyang [ko] in Jinan, North Jeolla. From 1966 to 1969 he studied at Jeonju Shinheung High School [ko] in Jeonju, where he was a student reporter and served as chairman of the student council. As an undergraduate he studied law at Korea University, and became chairman of the student union there, graduating in 1974. He was nominated as an alternate for a U.S. Asia-Pacific student leadership project in that year.^{[citation needed]} He received a master's degree from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University in 1983, an MBA from Pepperdine University in 1993, and a doctorate from Kyung Hee University in 2000.^[2]

Political career

Chung entered the National Assembly in the 1996 parliamentary election as a member of the main liberal opposition National Congress for New Politics, representing his home county of Jinan, North Jeolla, in the Jinan–Muju–Jangsu constituency.

President Roh Moo-hyun appointed Chung the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy at the start of 2006.^[3] As minister, Chung received U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman in Seoul,^[4] and participated in the Five-Party Energy Ministerial held in Beijing on 16 December 2006, promoting energy efficiency and the development of clean energy technologies.^[5]

Democratic Party leader (2008–10)

At the Democratic Party national convention on 6 July 2008, Chung was elected leader of the party, defeating Choo Mi-ae, his closest competitor.^[6]

In July 2009, Chung went on a six-day hunger strike to protest a series of media laws passed by the ruling Grand National Party. He resigned his assembly seat on 24 July alongside Chun Jung-bae, labeling the bills invalid and stating that passing legislation through "illegal voting and violence cannot be justified".^[7][8] Some 70 Democratic lawmakers also handed letters of resignation to Chung,^[7] and Chung announced that the party would begin a hundred-day campaign in the streets against the laws.^[9] Chung and his fellow party members returned to the assembly on 27 August after a month of protests.^[10]

Chung faced calls to resign as party leader after the Democratic Party underperformed in the 2010 by-elections, losing five of the eight seats being contested. He accepted the demands and resigned alongside the rest of the party leadership on 2 August taking responsibility for the defeat.^[11]

Later legislative career (2010–present)

In the 2012 parliamentary election, Chung moved from Jeolla to Seoul to contest Jongno, an important constituency encompassing the Dongdaemun and the presidential residence at the Blue House.^[12] He defeated his Saenuri Party competitor Hong Sa-duk, a six-term assemblyman and leading supporter of Park Geun-hye.^[12] Remaining in Jongno as a member of the Minjoo Party of Korea, four years later in the 2016 elections Chung successfully fended off a challenge from another Saenuri heavyweight, former Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon, confounding opinion polls from before the vote that had suggested Oh would win.^[13] Prior to the 2016 election, Chung had criticized the Minjoo leadership for failing to nominate enough women and minority candidates.^[14] In December 2019, he was nominated the second prime minister of the Moon Jae-in government.^[15] He took office as the 42nd Prime Minister on January 14, 2020.^[16]

Trivia

His nickname is the 'Bacteriaman (Baikinman, 세균맨)', so he received a Baikinman doll. Because his name, 세균 (世均, Sye-kyun or Segyun), is pronounced the same as 세균 (細菌, segyun), which means bacteria.^[17]

His religious affiliation is Protestant.^[18]

References

External links

Media related to Chung Sye-kyun at Wikimedia Commons

National Assembly of the Republic of Korea
Preceded by Hwang In-sung	Member of the National Assembly from Jinan, Muju, Jangsu and Imsil 1996–2012	Succeeded by Park Min-soo
Preceded by Park Jin	Member of the National Assembly from Jongno 2012–2020	Succeeded by Lee Nak-yeon
Political offices
Preceded by Lee Hee-beom	Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy 2006–2007	Succeeded by Kim Young-joo
Preceded by Chung Eui-hwa	Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea 2016–2018	Succeeded by Moon Hee-sang
Preceded by Lee Nak-yeon	Prime Minister of South Korea 2020–2021	Succeeded by Hong Nam-ki Acting