How Moon Jae-in rose from impoverished childhood to become South Korea’s president
Moon is a child of North Korean parents who settled in the South during the 1950-53 Korean war
Moon Jae-in, who won Tuesday’s South Korean presidential election, has led a life as turbulent as that of the nation he will lead.
The son of refugees who fled North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, Moon, 64, grew up in poverty and spent time in jail for protesting military-backed dictators. Moon later became a human rights lawyer and worked for the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, a friend and mentor who eventually committed suicide.
“I will become the president of all the people,” he said, vowing to “never forget people’s wishes and aspirations.”
“It’s a great victory by a great people,” Moon told crowd of party officials and fervent supporters who celebrated his win. “I’ll gather all of my energy to build a new nation.”
Moon’s North Korean parents resettled in South Korea’s southeast before he was born in January 1953. They initially lived in a POW camp.