Chung Un-Chan
Encyclopedia
Chung Un-chan was the Prime Minister of South Korea
(2009–2010). He was a professor of Seoul National University
from 1978 to 2009, serving as the president of the university from July 2002 to July 2006 until he was designated to the Prime Minister. He acquired his Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University
.
of the college
of social sciences
in the first half of 2002. From 1993 to 1994, he was associate dean at the college. Dr. Chung was a visiting associate professor at the University of Hawaii
in 1983, a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics
from 1986 to 1987, and a visiting professor at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum
(Germany
) in 1999. Dr. Chung earned a B.A.
in economics
at Seoul National University in 1970, and an M.A.
in economics at Miami University
(Ohio
) in 1972. In 1978, Dr. Chung was awarded a Ph.D.
in economics at Princeton University
. In October 2004, Dr. Chung was awarded an honorary degree
in international education at the Far Eastern National University
in Vladivostok
, Russia
. Dr. Chung continues to write and conduct research in macroeconomics
and financial markets. He has numerous publications in both Korean and English.
Development. From 2000 to 2001, he served as Chairman of the Financial Development Committee at the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Since 1996, Dr. Chung has served as Director of the Suam Educational and Cultural Foundation. From 1998 to 2001, Dr. Chung was Director of the Korea Council of Economic and Social Research Institutes. And from 1998 to 1999, Dr. Chung was President of the Korean Money and Finance Association. In addition, Dr. Chung was a senior advisor for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Policy Advisory Committee from 1995 to 1997.
Dr. Chung began his academic career as a business associate and assistant professor at Columbia University
from 1976 to 1978. After three years of teaching Money and Financial Markets at the University, Dr. Chung returned to Seoul National University in late 1978, where he has taught for 27 years on the faculty of economics.
(now Democratic Party
) camp would like to recruit at the 2007 presidential election
, but he didn't enter the party.
On September 3, 2009, Chung was nominated as Prime Minister of South Korea
by president Lee Myung-bak
. At the parliamentary confirmation hearing, he said that a government plan to relocate nine ministries and four major administration bodies to the newly created Sejong City in central South Korea would lead to nationwide inefficiency. Opposition parties including Democratic Party
threatened to vote against him, but he was approved in the National Assembly and he assumed office as the 40th prime minister on September 30, 2009.
After his assuming office, Sejong city plan had faced uphill political battle and opposition parties vowed Saturday to their struggle against him. After local elections on June 2010
, he expressed willingness to resign. He offered his resignation on July 29 and stepped down on August 10 after 10 months of bitter political experience.
. He is a fan of the Doosan Bears
, a Korean baseball
team, and the New York Yankees
.
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Prime Minister of South Korea
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea is appointed by the President with the National Assembly's approval. Unlike prime ministers in the parliamentary system, the Prime Minister of South Korea is not required to be a member of parliament....
(2009–2010). He was a professor of Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
from 1978 to 2009, serving as the president of the university from July 2002 to July 2006 until he was designated to the Prime Minister. He acquired his Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
Academic career
Prior to his appointment as Seoul National University president, Chung was deanDean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
of social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
in the first half of 2002. From 1993 to 1994, he was associate dean at the college. Dr. Chung was a visiting associate professor at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
in 1983, a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
from 1986 to 1987, and a visiting professor at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum
Ruhr University
Ruhr University Bochum , located on the southern hills of central Ruhr area Bochum, was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany since World War II...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) in 1999. Dr. Chung earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at Seoul National University in 1970, and an M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in economics at Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
(Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
) in 1972. In 1978, Dr. Chung was awarded a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in economics at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. In October 2004, Dr. Chung was awarded an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
in international education at the Far Eastern National University
Far Eastern National University
Far Eastern Federal University is an institution of higher education located in Vladivostok, Russia. Established in 1899, the university was closed in the late 1930s under Joseph Stalin, and reopened in 1956, two years after Nikita Khrushchev visited Vladivostok...
in Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Dr. Chung continues to write and conduct research in macroeconomics
Macroeconomics
Macroeconomics is a branch of economics dealing with the performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of the whole economy. This includes a national, regional, or global economy...
and financial markets. He has numerous publications in both Korean and English.
Public official and educational administrator
Dr. Chung has held senior positions in government commissions and private research institutions. In 2002, Dr. Chung was Chairman of the Committee on National PensionPension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
Development. From 2000 to 2001, he served as Chairman of the Financial Development Committee at the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Since 1996, Dr. Chung has served as Director of the Suam Educational and Cultural Foundation. From 1998 to 2001, Dr. Chung was Director of the Korea Council of Economic and Social Research Institutes. And from 1998 to 1999, Dr. Chung was President of the Korean Money and Finance Association. In addition, Dr. Chung was a senior advisor for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Policy Advisory Committee from 1995 to 1997.
Dr. Chung began his academic career as a business associate and assistant professor at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1976 to 1978. After three years of teaching Money and Financial Markets at the University, Dr. Chung returned to Seoul National University in late 1978, where he has taught for 27 years on the faculty of economics.
Political career
Chung had been tops the list of potential candidates the ruling Uri PartyUri Party
The Yeollin Uri Party , generally abbreviated to Uri Party , was the briefly ruling political party in South Korea with a centrist political ideology...
(now Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Republic of Korea)
The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in South Korea.The Democratic Party is the main opposition in the 18th Assembly, lasting from 2008 to 2012.-History:...
) camp would like to recruit at the 2007 presidential election
South Korean presidential election, 2007
The 17th South Korean presidential election took place on 19 December 2007. The election was won by Lee Myung-bak of the Grand National Party, returning conservatives to the Blue House for the first time in ten years...
, but he didn't enter the party.
On September 3, 2009, Chung was nominated as Prime Minister of South Korea
Prime Minister of South Korea
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea is appointed by the President with the National Assembly's approval. Unlike prime ministers in the parliamentary system, the Prime Minister of South Korea is not required to be a member of parliament....
by president Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
. At the parliamentary confirmation hearing, he said that a government plan to relocate nine ministries and four major administration bodies to the newly created Sejong City in central South Korea would lead to nationwide inefficiency. Opposition parties including Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Republic of Korea)
The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in South Korea.The Democratic Party is the main opposition in the 18th Assembly, lasting from 2008 to 2012.-History:...
threatened to vote against him, but he was approved in the National Assembly and he assumed office as the 40th prime minister on September 30, 2009.
After his assuming office, Sejong city plan had faced uphill political battle and opposition parties vowed Saturday to their struggle against him. After local elections on June 2010
South Korean local elections, 2010
The 5th local elections were held in South Korea on 2 June 2010. The voter turnout reached 54.4%, the highest in 15 years.-Voter turnout by region:* Overall voter turnout: 54.5%...
, he expressed willingness to resign. He offered his resignation on July 29 and stepped down on August 10 after 10 months of bitter political experience.
Private life
Chung is a fan of baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. He is a fan of the Doosan Bears
Doosan Bears
The Doosan Bears are a professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the Korean Baseball Organization....
, a Korean baseball
Baseball in South Korea
Baseball in Korea was introduced in 1905 during the Korean Empire and spread afterwards. It is one of the most popular sports in the country.- See also :* Korea Baseball Association* Korea Baseball Organization* High school baseball in South Korea...
team, and the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
.
External links
- Official bio
- Seoul National University
- The Korea Times: SNU Narrows Presidential Search to Two Professors (May 11, 2006)
- Prime Minister of South Korea web page (Korean)
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