Cho Myoung-gyon (Korean조명균; Hanja趙明均; born 17 November 1957) is a South Korean politician previously served as President Moon Jae-in's first Minister of Unification.

Cho Myoung-gyon
조명균
Minister of Unification
In office
3 July 2017 – 8 April 2019
PresidentMoon Jae-in
Prime MinisterLee Nak-yeon
Preceded byHong Yong-pyo
Succeeded byKim Yeon-chul
Personal details
Born (1957-11-17) 17 November 1957 (age 67)
Uijeongbu, South Korea
Political partyindependent
Alma materSungkyunkwan University
Seoul National University
ReligionRoman Catholicism

After passing the state exam in 1979, Cho spent most of his career at the Ministry of Unification.[1] He actively participated in multiple projects and negotiations with Pyongyang which resulted in enhanced Inter-Korean relations during Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations commended by then-Minister Jeong Se-hyun.[2][unreliable source?] He left public service upon the beginning of the new administration in 2008. Since then he completely distanced himself from politics before being appointed as Minister in 2017.[3]

During his term as Minister, Inter-Korean relations dramatically improved which was deteriorated after Kim and Roh administrations.

Cho Myoung-gyon meeting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

He holds two degrees - a bachelor's in statistics from Sungkyunkwan University and a master's in administration from Seoul National University.[4]

References

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  1. ^ [프로필]조명균 통일부 장관 후보자. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). 2017-06-13. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  2. ^ 통일장관 후보자 조명균의 '화려한 귀환'. OhmyNews (in Korean). 2017-06-13. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  3. ^ "조명균 장관 어떻게 살아왔기에"...3無 인사평에 새삼 주목. 이뉴스투데이 (in Korean). 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  4. ^ [프로필] '남북회담 전문가' 조명균 통일부 장관 후보자. NewsPim (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-05-26.