Goh Kun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Goh Kun
고건
Goh in 2010
Acting President of South Korea
In office 12 March 2004 – 14 May 2004
President	Roh Moo-hyun
Prime Minister	Himself
Prime Minister of South Korea
In office 4 March 1997 – 3 March 1998
President	Kim Young-sam Kim Dae-jung
Preceded by	Lee Soo-sung
Succeeded by	Kim Jong-pil
In office 26 February 2003 – 25 July 2004
President	Roh Moo-hyun
Preceded by	Kim Suk-soo
Succeeded by	Lee Hun Jai (acting) Lee Hae-chan
Mayor of Seoul
In office 5 December 1988 – 27 December 1990
Preceded by	Kim Yong-rae
Succeeded by	Park Seh-jik
In office 1 July 1998 – 30 June 2002
Preceded by	Cho Soon Kang Duk-ki (acting)
Succeeded by	Lee Myung-bak
Personal details
Born	(1938-01-02) 2 January 1938 (age 87) Keijō, Korea, Empire of Japan
Political party	Democratic Justice (1980–1990) Democratic Liberal (1990–1995) Democratic (1998–2007)
Alma mater	Seoul National University (BS, MS)
Signature
Korean name
Hangul	고건
Hanja	高建
Revised Romanization	Go Geon
McCune–Reischauer	Ko Kŏn

Goh Kun (born on January 2, 1938) is a well-known South Korean politician. He served as the Prime Minister of South Korea two times. First, from 1997 to 1998, and then again from 2003 to 2004. He also briefly became the acting President of South Korea in 2004. Before that, he was the Mayor of Seoul, the capital city of South Korea.

Early Life and Education

Goh Kun was born in Seoul, South Korea, on January 2, 1938. He went to Kyunggi High School from 1953 to 1956. After high school, he studied at Seoul National University. In 1960, he earned a degree in political science. While there, he was also the President of the Student Council. Later, in 1971, he earned a master's degree in urban planning from the same university.

A Career in Public Service

Goh Kun started working for the government in the 1960s. He joined the Ministry of Home Affairs. He moved up through different important roles. From 1975 to 1979, he was the Governor of South Jeolla Province. He also served as the Minister of Transportation from 1980 to 1981. Then, he became the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries from 1981 to 1982.

Mayor of Seoul

In 1985, Goh Kun was elected as a member of the National Assembly. This is like being a member of parliament. In 1988, he was appointed as the mayor of Seoul. He was removed from this job in 1990 because he didn't approve a building plan he thought was wrong.

However, he returned to be the mayor of Seoul in 1998. This time, he was elected by the people. He served until 2002. During his time as mayor, he started a program to plant "10 million trees of life" in Seoul. He also worked to make the city's air cleaner. These efforts made Seoul much greener.

Prime Minister and Acting President

Goh Kun served as the Prime Minister of South Korea twice. His first term was from 1997 to 1998. His second term was from 2003 to 2004.

In 2004, something unusual happened. The President at the time, Roh Moo-hyun, was temporarily removed from his duties. This process is called impeachment. Because of this, Goh Kun became the acting President. He served in this role from March 12, 2004, to May 14, 2004. The South Korean Constitutional Court later decided that President Roh Moo-hyun could return to his job.

Goh Kun resigned as Prime Minister on May 24, 2004. He stepped down after he disagreed with the President's request to change some government officials. He was replaced by Lee Hae-chan.

Later Political Life

In June 2006, Goh Kun announced that he wanted to run for president. However, on January 16, 2007, he changed his mind. He decided not to run and announced his retirement from politics. Even after retiring, he was still involved in public service. In 2009, President Lee Myung-bak asked him to lead a council focused on social unity.

See also

• Impeachment of Roh Moo-hyun