Goh Kun (, born 2 January 1938) is a South Korean politician who served as the

prime minister of South Korea The prime minister of the Republic of Korea () is the deputy head of government and the second highest political office of South Korea. The prime minister is appointed by the president of the Republic of Korea, with the National Assembly's appro ...

from 1997 to 1998 and again from 2003 to 2004. He was the acting

president of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (), is the head of state and head of government of South Korea. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of South Korea, government and is ...

at the time of

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (, ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea from 2003 to 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

's suspension in 2004 and the

mayor of Seoul The mayor of Seoul () is the chief executive of Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul being the capital and largest city of South Korea. The position is historically one of the most powerful in the country, charged with managing an annual budg ...

from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1998 to 2002.

Early life and education

Goh Kun was born on 2 January 1938 in modern day

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea and attended Kyunggi High School from 1953 to 1956. In 1960, Goh earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the SKY (universities), SKY universities and a part of the Flagship Korean National Universities. The university's main c ...

, where he was President of the Student Council. He returned to the university in 1968 and graduated with a master's degree in 1971, majoring in urban planning.

Political career

Goh began his career in civil service in the 1960s, when he joined the Ministry of Home Affairs as a probationary officer. He was promoted through various positions, including the Governor of South Jeolla from 1975 to 1979, the Minister of Transportation from 1980 to 1981 and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries from 1981 to 1982. In

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, Goh was elected as a Member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

, before being appointed the mayor of

in 1988. When he refused to approve a questionable development proposal in 1990, he was removed from office. However, he returned to the position in 1998, this time by election, and served until 2002. During his tenure, he initiated a "10 million trees of life" program in the Seoul and sought more aggressive emissions standards, which led to a significant greening of the city.

Prime Minister and acting president

He served as

Prime Minister of South Korea The prime minister of the Republic of Korea () is the deputy head of government and the second highest political office of South Korea. The prime minister is appointed by the president of the Republic of Korea, with the National Assembly's appro ...

from 1997 to 1998 and from 2003 to 2004. He assumed the role of interim President following President

Roh Moo-Hyun Roh Moo-hyun (, ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea from 2003 to 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

's impeachment, from 12 March 2004 until 14 May 2004, when the South Korean Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment decision and restored Roh's powers as President. He resigned from the office of Prime Minister on 24 May 2004 after refusing to comply with the President's request to replace cabinet members. He was succeeded in the office by Lee Hae-chan, who was approved on 30 June. Along with Goh, three other cabinet members were also replaced.

After political service

In June 2006, Goh announced his candidacy for the presidential race. On 16 January 2007, he announced that he would no longer be a candidate for the presidential elections and that he would retire from political life. Despite his retirement, he was named head of social unity council by President

Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; born 19 December 1941), often referred to by his initials MB, is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the tenth president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engi ...

on 21 December 2009.

Notes

References

External links

* - JoongAng Daily (12 September 2005)
''"Constitutional Court Reinstates South Korea's Impeached President"''
- NY Times (14 May 2004)

- NY Times (24 April 2004)

- NY Times (23 April 2004)

- NY Times (17 April 2004)

- NY Times (2 April 2004)

- Chosun Ilbo (15 March 2004)

- NY Times (14 March 2004)

- NY Times (13 March 2004)

- Chosun Ilbo (19 May 2003)
''"Korea Can't Afford to Cop Out on Corporate Reform"''
- Bloomberg Businessweek (30 March 2003)

- NY Times (8 March 2003) * ttps://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/27/world/south-korea-s-new-president-gets-his-choice-for-prime-minister.html ''"South Korea's New President Gets His Choice for Prime Minister"''- NY Times (27 February 2003)
"''Goh Kun''"
- Bloomberg Businessweek (1 July 2001)
"''Seoul's Web of Anti-Correption''"
- Bloomberg Businessweek (24 June 2001) {{DEFAULTSORT:Goh, Kun 1938 births Acting presidents of South Korea Living people Mayors of Seoul Seoul National University alumni Government ministers of South Korea Democratic Party (South Korea, 2000) politicians 20th-century mayors of places in South Korea 20th-century South Korean politicians 21st-century mayors of places in South Korea 21st-century South Korean politicians