The UN Secretary-General was born on June 13, 1944 in the Republic of Korea (RoK). He graduated with a bachelor's degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970 and earned a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University in the United States in 1985.
The Secretary-General served as the RoK’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and has contributed to issues relating to the relation between the RoK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Ban Ki-moon’s ties to the United Nations date back to 1975, when he worked for the RoK Foreign Ministry's UN Division. He has been actively involved in common works of the UN including serving as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation and contributing to promoting the activities of the UN General Assembly.
Ban Ki-moon took office as the eighth UN Secretary-General on January 1, 2007 and will continue to serve until 31 December 2016.
Since taking office, he has made many efforts to improve the programmes and activities of the UN, including the issue of reforming the UN.
In addition to Korean, the Secretary-General can speak English and French.
