Yu Woo-ik

Yu Woo-ik (alternatively Ryu Woo-ik , 류우익; born January 6, 1950 in Sangju , Korea) is a South Korean politician, diplomat and geographer. Under President Lee Myung-bak , he was Chief of Staff in the President's Office in 2008 , Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011 and Minister for Unification Affairs from 2011 to 2013 . He was also a professor at Seoul National University until 2010, and from 2008 to 2010 he was Secretary General of the International Geographical Union .

Life

Yu studied geography at Seoul National University and received his doctorate in 1980 under Dietrich Bartels at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel with the thesis Spatial Behavior and Social Structure in Rural Areas - A Comparison between Schleswig-Holstein and South Korea . He then returned to South Korea and became a professor at Seoul National University. In addition, Yu was active in various political advisory bodies.

From 1996 he became one of Lee Myung-bak's closest advisers . After his election as President of South Korea in early 2008, Lee appointed Yu as Chief of Staff in the Presidential Office. However, he resigned from this post only a few months later after public protests against the resumption of meat imports from the United States. He then returned to Seoul National University as a professor. From December 2009, Yu served as the South Korean ambassador to China for 16 months. Lee appointed him Minister for Unification Affairs in August 2011, which he remained until the end of his term in early 2013. His successor was Ryoo Kihl-jae .

Act

Together with Lee, Yu developed the planning for a canal that would connect the Hangang and Nakdonggang rivers and thus enable a waterway running longitudinally through South Korea. Although this plan was never implemented as an infrastructure project, the "Four Rivers Project" was a project with a similar focus and Yu was involved as an alleged environmental protection measure. The hydraulic engineer Hans Helmut Bernhart , for example, pointed out the negative ecological consequences . Yu was widely criticized by student representatives for mixing academic and political activities. As a minister, he proposed setting up a fund with which South Korean citizens should prepare for the future development of North Korea .

Individual evidence

↑ Kim Yon-se, Kim Sue-young: Professor to Become Lee's Chief of Staff ( en ) In: The Korea Times . January 31, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
↑ ^a ^b Choi Sang-yeon, Jung Ha-won: Geography professor named chief of staff ( en ) In: Korea JoongAng Daily . February 2, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
↑ Shu-Ching Jean Chen: Korean Beef Protests Come To A Head ( en ) In: Forbes Magazine . June 10, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
↑ ^a ^b Kim Tae-jong: Return of Polifessor Unwelcome at SNU ( en ) In: The Korea Times . June 23, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
↑ Kim So-hyun: Yu Woo-ik named unification minister ( en ) In: The Korea Herald . August 30, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
^ The 36th Minister of Unification, Yu Woo-ik steps down, completing his term on March 11, 2013 ( en ) Ministry of Unification. March 12, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
↑ Lee Min-a: How does Lee want to reshape South Korea? ( en ) In: Korea JoongAng Daily . January 1, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
↑ Christoph Neidhart: Small Expo in South Korea: Robot meeting in the sophisticated fishing nest . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . May 15, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
↑ Kim Kyung-wook, Kim Jeong-su, Kim Kyu-won: Four Rivers evangelists now tight-lipped about disastrous project ( en ) In: Hankyoreh . July 10, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
^ Fabian Kretschmer: Four Rivers Project: Biggest ecological scandal in South Korea . In: The Standard . January 5, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
^ Korea, divided or united . German Society for Foreign Policy . February 28, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

Web links

CV ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the web archive archive.today ) - Website of the Hansun Foundation
South Korea's unification plan: "Nobody just wants to swallow the north" - Interview, Spiegel online , March 10, 2012

personal data
SURNAME	Yu, Woo-ik
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Ryu, Woo-ik
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	South Korean politician, diplomat and geographer
DATE OF BIRTH	January 6, 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH	Sangju , Korea

[1] Kim Yon-se, Kim Sue-young: Professor to Become Lee's Chief of Staff ( en ) In: The Korea Times . January 31, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[chiefofstaff-2] Choi Sang-yeon, Jung Ha-won: Geography professor named chief of staff ( en ) In: Korea JoongAng Daily . February 2, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[3] Shu-Ching Jean Chen: Korean Beef Protests Come To A Head ( en ) In: Forbes Magazine . June 10, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[Polifessor-4] Kim Tae-jong: Return of Polifessor Unwelcome at SNU ( en ) In: The Korea Times . June 23, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[5] Kim So-hyun: Yu Woo-ik named unification minister ( en ) In: The Korea Herald . August 30, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[6] The 36th Minister of Unification, Yu Woo-ik steps down, completing his term on March 11, 2013 ( en ) Ministry of Unification. March 12, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[7] Lee Min-a: How does Lee want to reshape South Korea? ( en ) In: Korea JoongAng Daily . January 1, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[8] Christoph Neidhart: Small Expo in South Korea: Robot meeting in the sophisticated fishing nest . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . May 15, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[9] Kim Kyung-wook, Kim Jeong-su, Kim Kyu-won: Four Rivers evangelists now tight-lipped about disastrous project ( en ) In: Hankyoreh . July 10, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[10] Fabian Kretschmer: Four Rivers Project: Biggest ecological scandal in South Korea . In: The Standard . January 5, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2015.

[11] Korea, divided or united . German Society for Foreign Policy . February 28, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2015.