Yun Po-sun (, or ; August 26, 1897 – July 18, 1990) was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the

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 ...

from 1960 to 1962. He was the only president of the short-lived

Second Republic of Korea The Second Republic of Korea () was the government of South Korea from June 1960 to May 1961. The Second Republic was founded months after the April Revolution mass protests against President Syngman Rhee, succeeding the First Republic of Korea, ...

, and served as little more than a figurehead due to its nature as a

parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their Election, democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of t ...

. Having entered politics after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Yun served as Secretary to Korea's

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

in 1947, and was

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 ...

in 1948. He served as

Commerce Minister A Commerce minister (sometimes business minister, industry minister, trade minister or international trade minister) is a position in many governments that is responsible for regulating external trade and promoting economic growth (commercial poli ...

for the newly liberated Korea from 1949 to 1950. In 1955, Yun helped establish the South Korean Democratic Party. He was forced to resign the presidency by

Park Chung Hee Park Chung Hee (; ; November14, 1917October26, 1979) was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961 until Assassination of Park Chung ...

as a result of the

May 16 coup The May 16 military coup d'état () was a military coup d'état in South Korea in 1961, organized and carried out by Park Chung Hee and his allies who formed the Military Revolutionary Committee, nominally led by Army Chief of Staff Chang Do ...

in 1961.

Early life

Yun Po-sun was born in Dunpo-myeon,

Asan Asan (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It borders the Seoul Capital Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 400,000. Asan is known for its many hot springs an ...

South Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province (), informally called Chungnam, is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, province of South Korea in the Hoseo region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. South Chungcheong borders the provinces of Gyeonggi to ...

in 1897. He was a son of Yun Chi-so (윤치소, 尹致昭, 1871–1944) and Lady Yi Beom-suk (이범숙, 李範淑, 1876–1969). Yun Chiso is the second son of Yun Yeong-ryeol (윤영렬;尹英烈). Yun Yeong-ryeol is an 8th generation descendant of the prominent

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

scholar-official

Yun Doo-su Yun Tusu (; 1533–1601) was a Korean scholar-official of the Joseon period. He was a politician, poet, writer, scholar, and part of the Yi Hwang school among Westerners faction. He served as Chief State Councillor during the reign of King Se ...

(윤두수;尹斗壽). Yun studied in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, graduating with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

in 1930. He returned to Korea in 1932.

Political career

Yun entered politics in 1945 following

Gwangbokjeol The National Liberation Day of Korea is a public holiday celebrated annually on 15 August in both North Korea and South Korea. It commemorates the day when Korean Peninsula was liberated by the Allies in 1945 from 35 years of Japanese colonial ...

(Liberation Day). The first

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

from Princeton University in Korea, as well as first President of South Korea, Dr.

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...

, was his

mentor Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

. By 1947, Yun was serving as Secretary to the Korean Chief of Staff. In 1948, Rhee appointed Yun to the position of mayor of

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 ...

. A year later, he was made Minister of Commerce and Industry. However, Yun soon began to disagree with Rhee's authoritarian policies. While serving as president of the

Red Cross Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid, is composed of the following bodies: *The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is an indep ...

, he was elected to 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 ...

in 1954. A year later, he co-founded the opposition South Korean Democratic Party. In 1959, he became a representative to the Supreme Council of the Democratic Party.

Presidency (1960–62)

Rhee's government was ousted by a student-led, pro-democracy

uprising Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

in 1960; and Yun was elected president by the newly elected parliament on August 13, with

Chang Myon Chang Myon (; August28, 1899June4, 1966) was a South Korean statesman, educator, diplomat, journalist and social activist as well as a Roman Catholic youth activist. He was the only Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, prime minister of th ...

as Prime Minister. In the aftermath of the authoritarian excesses of Rhee's regime, South Korea had switched to a

; thus, Yun served merely as a ceremonial president. Following

's coup in 1961, Yun stayed in his post in order to provide some legitimacy to the new regime, but resigned on 24 March 1962. In the following years, Yun received suspended sentences several times for anti-government activities. He opposed Park's authoritarian rule and ran for president twice, in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

and

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, losing both times.

Post presidency (1962–1990)

Yun retired from politics in 1980 and focused his life on cultural activities until his death in 1990.

Death and state funeral

Yun Posun died at Anguk-dong,

Jongno District upright=1, Bosingak bell pavilion Jongno District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. It is the historic center of Seoul that contains Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and the Blue House, the for ...

, Seoul at the age of 92. He was accorded a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

by President

Roh Tae-woo Roh Tae-woo (, ; 4 December 1932 – 26 October 2021) was a South Korean army general and politician who served as the sixth president of South Korea from 1988 to 1993. In 1987, he became the first president to be directly elected under the cur ...

and was interred at Seonsan,

Awards

Grand Order of Mugunghwa The Grand Order of Mugunghwa () is the highest national order awarded by South Korea. It is awarded to the President of South Korea, and it may be awarded to their spouse, heads or former heads of state of South Korean allies, and their spouse ...

* In-Cheon Cultural AwardNote: The

Kim Seong-su Kim Seong-su (; October 11, 1891 – February 18, 1955), art name Inchon, was a Korean educator, independence activist, journalist, entrepreneur, politician, and calligrapher. He served as the second Vice President of South Korea from 1951 to ...

Memoriam

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Papyeong Yun clan website

Yun Posun
at Heonjeonghoe
Yun Posun
at

Encyclopedia of Korean Culture The ''Encyclopedia of Korean Culture'' () is a Korean-language encyclopedia published by the Academy of Korean Studies and DongBang Media Co. It was originally published as physical books from 1991 to 2001. There is now an online version of the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yun, Po-sun 1897 births 1990 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in South Korea People from Asan People from South Chungcheong Province Presidents of South Korea South Korean civil rights activists Government ministers of South Korea Alumni of the University of Edinburgh South Korean democracy activists Recipients of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa Kim Kyu-sik Leaders ousted by a coup Democratic Party (South Korea, 1955) politicians South Korean anti-communists South Korean Presbyterians Liberal Party (South Korea) politicians Mayors of Seoul Members of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea Korean expatriates in the United Kingdom