Kim Wan-ju (; born May 25, 1946) is a South Korean politician who was the 32nd governor of the South Korean province of North Jeolla from 2006 to 2014; he was also the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the South Korean city of Jeonju from 1998 to 2006. During his tenure, Kim was a strong proponent of regional development, historical preservation, new paradigms of local and decentralized government, and is considered one of the best of the new generation of

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n leaders.

Early life and education

Kim was born in what is now North Jeolla Province's Wanju County in May 1946. He graduated from the Jeonju Nam-jung School in 1962 and graduated from Jeonju High School in 1965. He received a Bachelor's in Political Science from

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 ...

(SNU) in 1970 and graduated from SNU's Graduate School of Public Administration in 1963. In 1987, he received a Master's in Urban Planning from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in the U.S.

Career

*Passed the 14th Administrative Examination in 1973 *1974–1980: Chonbuk Provincial Planning Division Manager *1980–1981: Chonbuk Provincial Office Deputy Director-General *1988–1988: Planning Officer, Chonbuk Provincial Office *1991–1992: Presidential Office of the President *1994: Representative of Namwon's mayor in North Jeolla Province *1994–1995: The 7th and 8th North Jeolla Province Namwon Market *1995–1996: Chief of Planning and Management of North Jeolla Province *1998: Director of the Korea Sports Council *July 1, 1998 – March 10, 2006: Mayor of the City of Jeonju (re-election) **2001–2004 Member of Local Transportation Committee **2003: Chairperson of the Decentralization Special Promotion Committee **2003: Chairman of the Council of the Mayor of the Mayor of the National Market *July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2014: 32nd Governor of North Jeolla Province do in 33rd (re-election)

Personal life

Kim is a member of the

Gwangsan Kim clan The Gwangsan Kim clan (Hangul: 광산 김씨, Hanja: 光山金氏) is a Korean clan with its bon-gwan located in Gwangsan, present-day Gwangju. The members of the Gwangsan Kim clan are the descendants of Kim Heung-gwang (김흥광), the third ...

References

Living people 1946 births Mayors of places in South Korea Governors of North Jeolla Province South Korean expatriates in the United States {{SouthKorea-mayor-stub