Mr. Geun Tae KIM

PERSONAL HISTORY

As one of the most renowned activists for the pro-democracy movement and human rights, Minister Kim Geun Tae has laid the cornerstone of Korean democracy.

He was born in Bucheon, a city near Seoul in Korea, on 14th February 1947. In 1968, he began studying economics at the Seoul National University and graduated with a BA in economics in 1972.  Shortly after graduation, he joined the pro-democracy movement and became the President of the Youth Federation for Democracy (YFD), the first national organization against the military dictatorship.  He was imprisoned for anti-government activities in 1985, and revealed in his testimony before the court that the police tortured him during interrogation, which was widely practiced by the military government.  It established his reputation as a conscientious prisoner in Korea.

He received the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award with his wife, In Chae Keun, in 1987 and was recognized as the World Conscientious Prisoner for Political Reasons by the Hamburg Freedom Foundation in 1988.  His memoir “The Namyungdong” is one of the most popular readings among the public, which unveiled the torture in the process of the police investigation.  Later, he served as the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the “Chunminryun” (the National Democratic Alliance of Korea), the first nationwide civic organization to promote democracy in Korea.  He was imprisoned again in 1990 for breach of the National Security Law.  Congresspersons in the U.S House of Representatives wrote to the Korean government to file a protest against his imprisonment.  Later on, the UN Commission on Human Rights urged the Korean government to reverse the decision on his imprisonment.  In his human rights movement, his focus was on the freedom of thought and conscience, as well as political freedom.  He was longing to see a free and democratic society.

In 1993 the military dictatorship was toppled.  He joined the Democratic Party (later renamed the National Congress for New Politics or NCNP) as a Vice Chair and changed his career from human rights activist to politician.  He was elected to the National Assembly in 1996, starting his first term as a lawmaker.  He led the e-Government Policy Planning Board of the NCNP.  He, then, was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the Forum of Democratic Leaders in Asia-Pacific (FDL-AP).  He was designated as one of “the 100 influential persons in the 21st Centry” by the Japanese edition of Newsweek magazine in January 1999.  As a politician, his interests were still in democracy, social integration, gender equality, transparency of the government, and peace of the Korean peninsula.

He served as the Chairperson of the Hanbando (the Korean Peninsula) Foundation for Peace and Economic Development.  In 2002 he ran for the election to win the nomination of a presidential candidate of the New Millennium Democratic Party (previously NCNP) and was defeated by President Roh Moo-hyun.  In 2003, he was elected as the Floor Leader of the Uri Party, the incumbent ruling party of Korea.  He, then, was appointed as the Minister of Health and Welfare, by which he would gain experiences in government administration of a country.  As Minister, he focuses on balance of economic growth and social integration, pension reform, initiatives to tackle low fertility and population aging.  In 2004, he was assigned the responsibility of supervising the Ministers for social and cultural policies by President Roh Moo-hyun.

Kim Geun Tae is married to In Chae Keun and has a son and a daughter.

CAREER SUMMARY

Sept. 2004 Named to supervise Ministers for social and cultural policies
2004  Named to head the Ministry of Health and Welfare
2004 Began the third term as a lawmaker in the 17th National Assembly
2003 Elected as the floor leader of the Uri Party (“Our Open Party”)
Served on the parliamentary Education Committee
2001 Served as the Chairperson of the Hanbando (“the Korean Peninsula”) Foundation for Peace and Economic Development
2000 Began the second term as a lawmaker in the 16th National Assembly
Elected as a member of the Supreme Council of the Millennium Democratic Party
Served as the Chairperson of the Preparation Committee for the International Financial Expo 2000
1999 Elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the Forum of Democratic Leaders in Asia-Pacific (FDL-AP)
1998 Led the e-Government Policy Planning Board of the National Congress for  New Politics Served on the parliamentary Committee for Finance and Economy
1996 Began the first term as a lawmaker in the 15th National Assembly
1995 Joined the Democratic Party (later renamed the National Congress for  New Politics) as a Vice Chair
1993-1995 Worked as the Co-chairperson of the National Council for Unification and Democracy
1990-1992 Imprisoned for involvement in the activities of the Chunminryun (“the National Democratic Alliance of Korea”), the first nationwide civic organization to promote democracy in Korea
1990 Served as the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Chunminryun
1989-1990 Served as the Director of the Chunminryun
1985-1988 Imprisoned for activities in the Youth Federation for Democracy
1983-1985 Served for two consecutive terms as the President of the Youth Federation for Democracy, the first national organization against the military dictatorship
1979-1982 Worked as a counselor at the Urban Industries Mission in Korea

Kim Geun Tae is also an Adjunct Professor at Hanyang University and Woosuk University.

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Received the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award with his wife, Chae Keun In, 1987
Recognized as the World’s Conscientious Prisoner for Political Reasons by Hamburg Freedom Foundation, 1988