Kim Yeon-chul

Kim Yeon-chul
김연철
Minister of Unification
In office
8 April 2019 – 19 June 2020
PresidentMoon Jae-in
Prime MinisterLee Nak-yeon
Chung Sye-kyun
Preceded byCho Myoung-gyon
Succeeded bySuh Ho (acting)
Lee In-young
Personal details
Born (1964-07-09) 9 July 1964 (age 60)
Donghae, South Korea
Political partyindependent
Alma materSungkyunkwan University
In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Kim Yeon-chul (Korean: 김연철; Hanja: 金鍊鐵; born 26 March 1964) is a South Korean associate professor of unification[1] at Inje University who served as Minister of Unification under President Moon Jae-in from April 2019 to June 2020.[2]

Before promoted to Minister, Kim was the president of the Korea Institute for National Unification, a government-funded research institute. He was previously a policy advisor to then-Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young from 2004 to 2006.

After completing his doctorate programme, he joined Samsung Economic Research Institute as its senior researcher.[3] He was also the first president of The Hankyoreh's research institute on peace studies.

Kim holds three degrees in political science from Sungkyunkwan University from a bachelor to a doctorate.[4]

Following North Korea's destruction of its Kaesong liaison office and a general worsening of inter-Korean relations, he offered to resign on June 17, 2020. On June 19, 2020, President Moon Jae-in officially accepted his resignation as the Minister of Unification.[5]

  1. ^ 통일학전공 | 인제대학교. www.inje.ac.kr. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  2. ^ 박, 경준 (19 June 2020). 문대통령, 통일장관 사표수리…후임 이인영 유력 거론(종합2보). Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  3. ^ [프로필] 김연철 통일부 장관 후보자. NewsPim (in Korean). Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Minister< Minister< Our Ministers< About MOU< 통일부_영문". www.unikorea.go.kr. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  5. ^ "South Korea's unification minister tenders resignation". NK News. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.