First Name: Ban
Title: General Secretary
Organization:
United Nations Country: Korea; Republic of
Date of Birth: 13/06/1944
Place of Birth: Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province
Spouses: Yoo Soon-taek (current)
Education: 1970 B.A. International Relations, Seoul National University1985 M.A. John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Languages: In addition to his native Korean, Ban speaks English, French, Japanese and German.
CV: 1970 Passed Foreign Service Examination'1972 Vice consul to the mission in New DelhiJul. 1987-May 1990 Counselor, Korean Embassy in Washington, DCJun. 1990-Jun. 1992 Director General, North American Affairs Bureau , Ministry of Foreign AffairsMay 1998-Jan. 2000 Ambassador to AustriaJan. 2000-Mar. 2001 Vice Minister of Foreign AffairsFeb. 2003-Jan. 2004 Presidential Advisor for Foreign AffairsJan. 2004- Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea.Oct 2006 - Elected as General Secretary, United Nations01 Jan 07 He succeeded Kofi Annan as the Secretary-General of the United Nations
Awards: Ban has twice been awarded the Order of Service Merit in 1975 and 1986 by the
Government of the Republic of Korea. For his accomplishments as an envoy, he received the Grand Decoration of Honour from the
Republic of Austria in 2001. A year later, the
government of Brazil bestowed the Grand Cross of
Rio Branco upon him.In September 2005, the Korea Society in New York honoured him with the James A. Van Fleet Award for his contributions to
friendship between the
United States and the
Republic of Korea.