Ban Ki-moon

Ban Ki-Moon became the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations in December 2006. He had been  Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea, having first worked with the Ministry's United Nations Division in 1975, and had worked with the UN throughout his diplomatic career.

International work
In 1999, he served as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. In 2001-2002, as Chef de Cabinet during the Republic of Korea's presidency of the United Nations General Assembly, he facilitated the prompt adoption of the first resolution of the session, condemning 9-11 Attacks, and undertook a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening the Assembly's functioning.

Inter-Korean relations
Mr. Ban has also been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations. In 1992, as Special Adviser to the Foreign Minister, he served as Vice-Chair of the South-North Joint Nuclear Control Commission following the adoption of the historic Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In September 2005, as Foreign Minister, he introduced a Joint Statement to the Six-Party Talks.

Education

 * bachelor's degree in international relations from Seoul National University, 1970
 * master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, 1985