Kwon Yang-sook (; ; born February 2, 1948 (Lunar December 23, 1947) was the First Lady of South Korea from 2003 to 2008. She is the widow of the ninth president 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 ...

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

, who committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

on May 23, 2009.

Career

She is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

, with the

Dharma name A Dharma name or Dhamma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic Buddhist initiation rituals in Mahayana Buddhism and monastic ordination in Theravada Buddhism (where it is more proper to call it Dhamma or Sangha name). The nam ...

''Daedeokhwa'', and won support from the Buddhist community during her husband's presidential campaign. After Roh's term ended, Kwon was embroiled in a bribery scandal involving her husband. According to Roh's website, Kwon borrowed $1 million from Park Yeon-Cha, CEO of

Taekwang Industry Taekwang Industrial Co, Ltd. () is a South Korean chemical and textile company headquartered in the Jangchung-dong area of central Seoul, with plants located in China as well as in Korea. Founded by Lee Im Yong in 1950, the company has developed ...

, to repay a personal debt.

Impostor

In November 2018, a woman falsely claiming to be Kwon Yang-sook convinced the mayor of Gwanju at the time, Yoon Jang-hyun, to transfer her 450 million won. According to reports, the impostor claimed that she needed the requested money for her daughter and would pay it back hastily.

Gallery

The President of Republic of Korea Mr. Roh Moo-Hyun and his Wife Mrs. Roh Moo-Hyun are received by the President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam and the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at a Ceremonial Reception in New Delhi on October 05.jpg, Kwon in India with

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

, and A.P.J Abdul Kalam in 2004 Image:APEC gala dinner 2006-Nov-18.jpg, Kwon and

at the 2006

APEC The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

gala dinner with President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

of Russia (centre) and

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

(right) KwonYangsook LauraBush.jpg, Kwon Yang-suk (left) with U.S. First Lady

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwon, Yang-Sook 1948 births Living people People from South Gyeongsang Province First Ladies of South Korea South Korean Buddhists