Chin Young (; born 23 October 1950) is a South Korean politician in the liberal

Democratic Party of Korea The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK; ), formerly known as the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), is a liberal political party in South Korea. Controlling the unicameral National Assembly as of 2022, the DPK is regarded as one of two m ...

, and a former member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

representing

Yongsan Yongsan District (, ) is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Yongsan has a population of 231,685 (2020) and has a geographic area of , and is divided into 19 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Yongsan is located in central Seoul ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. He was formerly a member of the conservative

Saenuri Party The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Han ...

, and served as the first Minister of Health and Welfare in the

Park Geun-hye Park Geun-hye (; ; often in English ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 to 2017, until she was impeached and convicted on related corruption charges. Park was the fi ...

administration from March to September 2013.

Early life and career

Chin studied law as an undergraduate at

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...

, graduating in 1975, and attained a masters from the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington. The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings place Wash ...

in 1984. He served as a judge on the Seoul Southern District Court from 1980 to 1981, and worked as a private lawyer from 1981 to 2007.

Political career

National Assembly (Saenuri Party, 2004–2016)

Chin was first elected to the 17th

in 2004. He was re-elected twice more in 2008 and 2012 as a member of the conservative Saenuri Party.

Minister of Health and Welfare (2013)

Chin was the Minister of Health and Welfare in Park Geun-hye administration. Having previously been Park's chief secretary, he was considered a key ally of Park at the time, and advocated an expansion of government welfare spending. He resigned six months after his appointment due to the administration's refusal to fulfil an election pledge to provide an additional monthly allowance for elderly citizens. Later, in May 2014, Chin voiced his disapproval that he had not been allowed "to leave quietly".

National Assembly (Minjoo Party, 2016–2020)

In March 2016, Chin was one of a number of Saenuri heavyweights who were denied party nominations for the April 13 parliamentary election. He left the party in response, and joined the opposition Minjoo Party. At a press conference with Minjoo leader

Kim Chong-in Kim Chong-in (, born 7 July 1940) is a South Korean economist and politician. He was the interim chairman of the Minjoo Party of Korea from January to August 2016 and a member-elect of the National Assembly on the party's proportional list si ...

announcing his defection, Chin stated that he "cherished true party politics, not party factionalism masterminded by a certain person", and that he had joined the Minjoo Party to "fight against authoritarianism to restore democracy". His comment was interpreted as an attack on Park Geun-hye. In the event, Chin was re-elected in Yongsan for his fourth legislative term in the 20th National Assembly, defeating Saenuri challenger Hwang Chun-ja.

References

1950 births Interior ministers of South Korea Living people Members of the National Assembly (South Korea) Minjoo Party of Korea politicians People from Damyang County Liberty Korea Party politicians Seoul National University School of Law alumni South Korean judges University of Washington School of Law alumni Yeoyang Jin clan Health and Welfare ministers of South Korea 21st-century South Korean politicians {{SouthKorea-politician-stub