Kang Young-Hoon (Korean: 강영훈, 30 May 1922 – 10 May 2016) was a South Korean politician who served as the second

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

of the sixth South Korean republic, from 16 December 1988 until 27 December 1990. Beginning his career in the military, Kang entered politics through the diplomatic foreign ministry before being elected to 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 ...

in 1987. He was appointed prime minister a year later in

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Roh Tae-woo Roh Tae-woo (; ; 4 December 1932 – 26 October 2021) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the sixth president of South Korea from 1988 to 1993. Roh was a close ally and friend of Chun Doo-hwan, the predecessor leader ...

's first cabinet reshuffle. His two-year tenure as prime minister was marked by his rapprochement towards North Korea, under Roh's

Nordpolitik Nordpolitik (German for "Northern Policy") was the signature foreign policy of South Korean president Roh Tae-woo. The policy guided South Korean efforts to reach out to the traditional allies of North Korea, with the goal of normalized relations ...

policy. After leaving government, Kang went on to become president of the South Korean National Red Cross from 1991 to 1997.

Early life and education

Kang was born in Shōjō-gun, Heianhoku-dō when Korea was under Japanese rule in 1922. He joined the National Defense Forces, a precursor to the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...

, shortly after his graduation from the

Kenkoku University Kenkoku University, or Jianguo in Chinese ( or "Nation-Building University"), was a short-lived university in Hsinking (modern Changchun, Jilin province), the capital of Manchukuo, the Japanese puppet state in occupied Manchuria during the Second ...

towards the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He served as a division commander during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and a military attaché in the Embassy of South Korea, Washington, D.C. in 1952 before becoming director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the

Ministry of National Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

in 1954. After a brief spell in the United States at the

Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

, Kang eventually reached the rank of

Chungjang (; ja, 将, Shō; ) is the rank held by general officers in some East Asian militaries. The ranks are used in both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan. The People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police use ...

(Lieutenant General) and ended his career as the superintendent of the Korean Military Academy in 1961, the same year as a bloodless military coup that he opposed.Susan Chira
Seoul Leader Shuffles Cabinet
''The New York Times'', 5 December 1988, Retrieved 31 March 2008. He was detained in

Seodaemun Prison Seodaemun Prison History Hall is a museum and former prison in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed beginning in 1907. The prison was opened on October 21, 1908, under the name Gyeongseong Gamok. During the early part of the Japa ...

for his role against the coup. On his release from prison, Kang headed back to America, gaining a M.A. in international relations (1966) and a Ph.D. in political science (1973) from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

.Steering Committee: Young-Hoon Kang
, USC Asia Conference 2004, Retrieved 31 March 2008. During his doctorate studies, he founded the Research Institute on Korean Affairs in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

Political career

Kang returned to South Korea in 1976, taking up the post of graduate school dean at the

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (abbreviated as HUFS; Korean: 한국외국어대학교) is a private research university based in Seoul, in South Korea. HUFS consistently ranks as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university ...

. His first foray into politics occurred in 1978 when he was appointed head of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, the training institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He then served as the ambassador to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

(1981–84), and the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

(1984–87). After the pro-democracy protests of 1987, Kang ran for election and was elected to the 13th

as a member of the ruling

Democratic Justice Party The Democratic Justice Party (; DJP) was the ruling party of South Korea from 1981 to 1988. History Chun had become the country's de facto leader after leading a military coup in December 1979, and was elected president in his own right in ...

Prime Minister

Kang was appointed prime minister by

, who at the same time replaced 19 of 23 Cabinet members in a major shake up meant to separate himself from his disgraced predecessor, President

Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah as president of South Korea from 1980 to 198 ...

. Kang was chosen, in part, because of his opposition to the Park Chung-hee-led coup of 1961. A moderate, Kang supported the democratic transition between the previous military regimes and civilian rule. During his tenure, political violence continued at universities throughout South Korea as groups labeled by the regime as "leftist radicals" advocated for the overthrow of the Government.6 Korea Police Die In Raid On Campus
''Associated Press'', 3 May 1989, Retrieved 31 March 2008.David E. Sanger

''The New York Times'', 4 May 1989, Retrieved 31 March 2008. After a rise in violence during the Spring of 1989, Kang offered to follow opposition party demands to resign if he were held responsible for mishandling state affairs surrounding the violence.
''Associated Press'', 11 May 1989, Retrieved 31 March 2008.

Relations with North Korea

After months of negotiations, Kang took part in historic talks with his North Korean counterpart, Prime Minister

Yon Hyong-muk Yon Hyong-muk, also spelt Yong Hyong-muk (November 3, 1931 – October 22, 2005), was a long-serving politician in North Korea and at the height of his career the most powerful person in that country outside the Kim family. He was Prime Ministe ...

.Susan Chira
Koreas Agree to Hold High-Level Talks
''The New York Times'', 17 January 1989, Retrieved 31 March 2008.Steven R. Weisman

''The New York Times'', 20 July 1990, Retrieved 31 March 2008.When Mr Yon met Mr Kang
(paid archive), ''The Economist'', September 1990, Retrieved 31 March 1990. The highest-level contact between the two Governments since 1945, the exchange of visits by respective prime ministers were aimed at reducing tension on the peninsula and an eventual reunification.Premiers of the Koreas Plan to Meet Tuesday
''Reuters'', 31 August 1990, Retrieved 31 March 2008. The first meeting occurred on 5–6 September 1990 in

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 of ...

, permitting both sides to directly address their concerns on issues regarding disarmament, United States troop withdrawal, the release of political prisoners, visitation rights, and reunification; the tone remained amiable.Steven R. Weisman
North-South Korea Talks Begin Today
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', 5 September 1990, Retrieved 31 March 2008. The prime ministers met a second time on 17–18 October 1990, this time in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

, culminating in a meeting with

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

. After initially maintaining the positive tone of the earlier meeting, tensions rose as both sides dropped their earlier civil tone and accused each other of bad faith.Steven R. Weisman
Korea Talks Resume; Seoul Sees Reasons for Caution
''The New York Times'', 17 October 1990, Retrieved 31 March 2008.Steven R. Weisman

''The New York Times'', 18 October 1990, Retrieved 31 March 2008. Both sides became suspicious that the other was using the talks to further its political agenda; Kang accused the North Koreans of "doing things that foment division and further put off peace" as well as using the talks to interfere with South Korean internal affairs while North Korean representatives criticized South Korea's suggestions to increase trade, cultural and humanitarian exchanges. Despite a lack of mutual agreement on substantive issues, the two sides agreed to another round of talks in Seoul from 11 to 14 December. Even with the dismissive position of North Korean officials, soccer matches and folk-music-concert exchanges did take place in the subsequent months.Steven R. Weisman

''The New York Times'', 13 December 1990, Retrieved 31 March 2008. The third meeting in December failed to come to a compromise over a proposed "declaration of non-aggression," which had been on the table since September; however both sides agreed yet again to continue talks the following February.

Post-political career

On 27 December 1990 Roh replaced Kang in another cabinet shuffle intended to improve his party's image before the following year's elections. Replaced by Ro Jai-bong, a chief aide, Kang had reportedly asked to retire from public life.Seoul Names a New Premier In a Shake-Up of the Cabinet
''Associated Press'', 27 December 1990, Retrieved 31 March 2008. Shortly after his replacement, he went on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East to canvass support for South Korea's membership to the United Nations. He went on to serve as president of the National Red Cross (1991–1997), an organization that played a major role in negotiations between South and North Korea, during a period where the north was suffering a dire famine. In 1995, he has created an honorary Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(KBE) by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. Kang subsequently served as chairman of the

Sejong Institute Sejong Institute (Korean: 세종연구소, Hanja: 世宗硏究所) is a non-profit, independent organization for public interest and a leading think tank in South Korea, dedicated to developing strategies and policies in areas of foreign and s ...

, and as chairman of the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

(UNEP), Korea Committee. Kang died on 10 May 2016 at the age of 93 of natural causes at the

Seoul National University Hospital Seoul National University Hospital (서울대학교병원) is one of the oldest and biggest hospitals in South Korea. It is a general and teaching hospital of Seoul National University's College of Medicine. Its headquarters are in Yongon-dong, Jo ...

20 days shortly before his 94th birthday. Kang was survived by his wife and three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kang, Young-hoon 1922 births 2016 deaths University of Southern California alumni Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Democratic Justice Party politicians Ambassadors of South Korea to the United Kingdom Ambassadors of South Korea to the Holy See Prime Ministers of South Korea USC School of International Relations alumni Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College South Korean generals South Korean military attachés Members of the National Assembly (South Korea) South Korean expatriates in the United States