Kim Moon-soo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kim Moon-soo
김문수
Kim in 2024
Minister of Employment and Labour
In office August 30, 2024 – April 8, 2025
President	Yoon Suk Yeol Han Duck-soo (acting) Choi Sang-mok (acting)
Prime Minister	Han Duck-soo Choi Sang-mok (acting)
Preceded by	Lee Jung-sik
Succeeded by	Kim Young-hoon
Governor of Gyeonggi Province
In office July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2014
Preceded by	Sohn Hak-kyu
Succeeded by	Nam Kyung-pil
Member of the National Assembly
In office May 30, 1996 – April 24, 2006
Preceded by	Park Kyu-sik
Succeeded by	Cha Myong-jin
Constituency	Sosa (Bucheon)
Personal details
Born	(1951-08-27) August 27, 1951 (age 73) Yeongcheon, South Korea
Political party	People Power
Other political affiliations	Liberty Unification Party (2020) Liberty Korea (until 2020) New Korea Party (1995–1997) Democratic Liberal Party (1994–1995) Popular Party (1990–1992)
Spouse	Seol Nan-young ​ (m. 1981)​
Education	Seoul National University (BA)
Signature
Korean name
Hangul	김문수
Hanja	金文洙
RR	Gim Munsu
MR	Kim Munsu

Kim Moon-soo (born August 27, 1951) is a South Korean politician. He was a member of the People Power Party and was their candidate in the 2025 presidential election. He also served as the minister of employment and labor from 2024 to 2025.

Born in Yeongcheon, Kim's journey into politics was unusual. He first enrolled in Seoul National University but was removed twice for taking part in student protests against the government. Because of his activism, it took him 25 years to finally get his degree in 1994.

In the 1980s, he was a labor activist, which means he worked to protect the rights of workers. This led to him being arrested for his role in protests. After this, he started his political career by helping to create the People's Party in 1990.

In 1996, Kim was elected to the National Assembly, which is South Korea's main law-making body. He served three terms. Later, he was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province and held that office from 2006 to 2014.

In 2025, Kim ran for president but lost the election to Lee Jae Myung of the Democratic Party.

Early Life and Education

Kim Moon-soo was born on August 27, 1951, in Yeongcheon, a city in North Gyeongsang Province. He was the sixth of seven children. He attended elementary school in his hometown. For middle school and high school, he moved to the city of Daegu by himself.

In 1970, he began studying business at the famous Seoul National University. However, he was removed from the university in 1974. This was because he was involved in a student group that protested against the government. He finally graduated in 1994, 25 years after he first started.

Work as a Labor Activist

After leaving the university, Kim began working in factories to support workers' rights. In 1978, he was chosen as a leader for the Dorco Labor Union. During the 1980s, the government of South Korea was very strict. Kim was arrested for his activism but was later released.

In 1981, Kim married Seol Nan-young. She was also a labor activist who had helped him when he was hiding from the authorities.

Kim continued to fight for workers. In 1986, he was arrested again for helping to lead a large protest in the city of Incheon. The protesters wanted a more democratic way to elect leaders. For his part in the protest, he was sent to prison for two and a half years.

Political Career

Member of the National Assembly (1996–2006)

In 1990, Kim helped start a new political party called the Popular Party. He ran for a seat in the National Assembly in 1992 but did not win.

He later joined the New Korea Party. In 1996, he ran again and was elected. He served as a member of the National Assembly for three terms in a row. During his time there, he focused on issues like workers' rights, the environment, and transportation.

For his work, he received several awards. This included the Green Politician Award in 1996 and an award for his work to help hungry children in 1999.

Governor of Gyeonggi Province (2006–2014)

Governorship of Kim Moon-soo
July 1, 2006 – July 1, 2014
Governor	Kim Moon-soo
Party	Grand National
Election	2006 2010
← Sohn Hak-kyu • Nam Kyung-pil →

In 2006, Kim decided to leave the National Assembly to run for a local government position. He was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province, which is the most populated province in South Korea. He was re-elected in 2010 and served as governor for a total of eight years.

In 2012, while still governor, Kim announced he wanted to run for president. He competed against Park Geun-hye to be the candidate for their party, but she was chosen instead.

Later Political Activities

After his time as governor, Kim remained active in politics. In 2018, he ran for mayor of Seoul but came in second place. He often took part in protests against the government of President Moon Jae-in.

In 2022, President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed Kim as the chairman of the Economic, Social, and Labor Council. This group helps the government work with businesses and labor unions. In August 2024, he became the Minister of Employment and Labor.

When President Yoon declared martial law in 2024, Kim disagreed with the decision. However, he did not support the president's impeachment, which is a process to remove a president from office.

2025 Presidential Election

After President Yoon was removed from office, Kim announced he would run for president on April 9, 2025. He said he was the best candidate to run against Lee Jae Myung. He won his party's support, beating his main rival, Han Dong-hoon.

However, his campaign faced problems. For a short time, his party tried to replace him with another candidate, Han Duck-soo. But party members voted to keep Kim as their nominee.

During his campaign, Kim apologized for the martial law crisis. He also promised to make changes to the government if he was elected. He lost the election to Lee Jae Myung.

Election results

General elections

Local elections

Presidential elections

See also

In Spanish: Kim Moon-soo (político) para niños