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Yun Ho-jung

In this Korean name, the family name is Yun.

Yun Ho-jung
윤호중
Minister of the Interior and Safety
Incumbent
Assumed office
19 July 2025
PresidentLee Jae-myung
Preceded byLee Sang-min
Member of the National Assembly
for Guri
Incumbent
Assumed office
30 May 2012
Preceded byJoo Kwang-deok
In office
30 May 2004 – 29 May 2008
Preceded byChun Yong-won
Succeeded byJoo Kwang-deok
Party leadership offices
Leader of the Democratic Party
Interim
In office
10 March 2022 – 2 June 2022
Preceded bySong Young-gil
Succeeded byPark Hong-keun (acting)
In office
16 April 2021 – 2 May 2021
Preceded byDo Jong-hwan (acting)
Succeeded bySong Young-gil
Floor Leader of the Democratic Party
In office
16 April 2021 – 24 March 2022
Preceded byKim Tae-nyeon
Succeeded byPark Hong-keun
Secretary-General of the Democratic Party
In office
3 September 2018 – 31 August 2020
PresidentLee Hae-chan
Preceded byLee Choon-suak
Succeeded byPark Kwang-on
Personal details
Born (1963-03-27) 27 March 1963 (age 62)
Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations
See list
  • PDP (1988–1991)
  • NDUP (1991–1992)
  • NCNP (1995–2000)
  • MDP (2000–2003)
  • Uri (2003–2007)
  • UNDP (2007–2008)
  • UDP (2008)
  • DP (2008–2011)
  • DUP (2011–2013)
  • DP (2013–2014)
  • NPAD (2014–2015)
Alma materSeoul National University
ReligionRoman Catholic
(Christian name : Martin)

Yun Ho-jung (Korean: 윤호중, born 27 March 1963) is a South Korean politician and former activist who has served as the minister of the interior and safety since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), he previously served as the party's leader from April to May 2021 and from March to June 2022. Yun also served as the secretary-general of the DPK from 2018 to 2020 and is the incumbent member of the National Assembly for Guri.

Early life and education

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Born in Gapyeong in 1963, Yun attended Chuncheon High School [ko].[1] Subsequently, he studied philosophy at Seoul National University in the 1980s.[1] In 1984, he was detained for being involved in a civilian confinement and assault incident [ko];[2] other notable figures involved in the event were Rhyu Si-min,[3][unreliable source?] Baik Tae-ung[4] and Shim Jae-chul.[5]

Career

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Yun started his political career in 1988 as assistant administrator in the Office of Planning & Coordination of the Peace Democratic Party, [1][6] becoming close to Party Chairman Kim Dae-jung. After Kim was elected President in 1997,[1] Yun worked under him at the Office of the President, mainly handling issues related to policy planning.[1] In 1991, he began work as a secretary to former MP Han Kwang-ok [ko], a notable pro-DJ figure.[7]

Yun initially ran as an MP candidate for Guri in the 2000 election under the banner of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), but was not elected.[7] The year after, he was appointed deputy spokesperson of the MDP.[7] He later withdrew from the MDP and joined the Uri Party, along with other dissidents. In the 2004 election, he was elected to the National Assembly.[1][6]

Though he was not re-elected in 2008, Yun led his Democratic Party to form an opposition alliance with the Democratic Labour Party, the Creative Korea Party, the New Progressive Party and the National Participation Party in the 2010 local elections.[1] Following his re-election in 2012 under the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) banner, he worked for an alliance with the DUP candidate Moon Jae-in and independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo for the presidential election in December.[1] In 2013, he ran for the DUP's vice presidency, but was not elected.[1][6]

After the election of Moon Jae-in in 2017, Yun was considered a potential candidate for the newly-created Minister of SMEs and Startups, [8][9] but he was ultimately not appointed. In September 2018, he was appointed as the Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Korea shortly after the election of party president Lee Hae-chan.[10]

On 16 April 2021, Yun was elected the new parliamentary leader of the Democratic Party, defeating Park Wan-joo [ko].[11][12][13] He also became the acting party President, as the position was vacant since the resignation of Lee Nak-yon in March.[12][13]

Political views

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Formerly holding pro-LGBT views,[14] Yun expressed anti-LGBT views prior to the 2020 South Korean legislative election, stating that his party is not willing to cooperate with pro-LGBT parties, such as Green Party Korea.[15] He is a moderate figure of the pro-Moon Jae-in faction.[1]

Controversy

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On 27 March 2021, during the campaign of Park Young-sun, who was running for Mayor of Seoul in the 2021 by-elections, Yun told people, "There is a candidate who keeps lying, even though he knows he owns a property in Naegok-dong.", referring the PPP candidate and former Mayor Oh Se-hoon.[16][17] He then asked people, "Is he rubbish or not?", and gave the answer, "Yes, he is rubbish."[16][17] He also stated: "(Oh) approved a master plan, but he kept denying he had done so. Is he rubbish or not?"[17] He finally urged people to "separate the rubbish properly on 7 April."[17] The PPP subsequently condemned his remarks as "severe hate speech" and "ruinous social splitting that must be stopped immediately."[17]

Personal life

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Yun's mother, Lee Soon-ye, died in 2017.[18]

Election results

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General elections

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Year Constituency Political party Votes (%) Remarks
2000 Guri MDP 20,376 (31.82%) Defeated
2004 Guri Uri 36,433 (43.91%) Won
2008 Guri UDP 29,046 (43.03%) Defeated
2012 Guri DUP 40,524 (48.67%) Won
2016 Guri Democratic 40,820 (46.59%) Won
2020 Guri Democratic 64,668 (58.64%) Won

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j [프로필] 온건 '친문' 윤호중 더민주 정책위의장. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  2. ^ 서울대생 1명구속·8명 수배. 5 October 1984. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  3. ^ "상부에서 유시민으로 엮으라고 지시 민간인 폭행한 것은 다른 연루자들". 6 February 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  4. ^ 1984년 9월 누가 서울대의 프락치를 만들었는가. 1 July 2004. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  5. ^ '서울대프락치 사건' 키우려다 자살골 넣은 한나라당. 7 February 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b c 더불어민주당 윤호중 정책위의장 프로필. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  7. ^ a b c 윤호중. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  8. ^ 중소벤처장관 박영선·윤호중, 통상본부장 김현종·이혜민 물망. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  9. ^ 중기벤처부장관에 박영선 · 윤호중 다시부상. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  10. ^ 민주 사무총장에 이해찬 최측근 윤호중…"초연결 정당 만들겠다". 5 September 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  11. ^ [속보] 윤호중, 민주당 신임 원내대표 선출. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b 민주 새 원내대표에 친문 윤호중…"개혁바퀴 멈춰선 안돼"(종합). 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  13. ^ a b 민주당 새 원내사령탑에 윤호중…참패에도 '도로 친문'(종합). 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  14. ^ "성소수자 문제는 소모적" 윤호중, 8년 전에는 동성애차별금지법 찬성. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  15. ^ 윤호중 "성소수자 등 소모적 논쟁 일으킬 당과 연합 어렵다". 17 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  16. ^ a b "與 윤호중 "오세훈은 쓰레기… 4월 7일 분리수거 잘하자"". 27 March 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e 윤호중 "오세훈 쓰레기"…국힘 "역대급 막말"(종합). 27 March 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  18. ^ [부고]윤호중(더불어민주당 국회의원)씨 모친상. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
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