Chung Un-chan (Korean: 정운찬; born March 21, 1947[1]) is a South Korean politician who served as the 40th prime minister of South Korea from 2009 to 2010. He was a professor of Seoul National University from 1978 to 2009, serving as the president of the university from July 2002 to July 2006. From 2018 to 2020, Chung also served as the 22nd commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization.[2]
Chung has held senior positions in government commissions and private research institutions. In 2002, Chung was Chairman of the Committee on National Pension Development. From 2000 to 2001, he served as Chairman of the Financial Development Committee at the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Since 1996, Chung has served as Director of the Suam Educational and Cultural Foundation. From 1998 to 2001, Chung was Director of the Korea Council of Economic and Social Research Institutes. And from 1998 to 1999, Chung was President of the Korean Money and Finance Association. In addition, Chung was a senior advisor for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Policy Advisory Committee from 1995 to 1997.[citation needed]
Chung began his academic career as a business associate and assistant professor at Columbia University from 1976 to 1978. After three years of teaching Money and Financial Markets at the university, Chung returned to Seoul National University in late 1978, where he has taught for 27 years on the faculty of economics.[citation needed]
On September 3, 2009, Chung was nominated as Prime Minister of South Korea by president Lee Myung-bak. At the parliamentary confirmation hearing, he said that a government plan to relocate nine ministries and four major administration bodies to the newly created Sejong City in central South Korea would lead to nationwide inefficiency.[5] Opposition parties including Democratic Party threatened to vote against him,[5] but he was approved in the National Assembly of South Korea and assumed office as the 40th prime minister on September 30, 2009.[citation needed]
After assuming office, Sejong city plan had faced uphill political battle and opposition parties vowed Saturday to their struggle against him. After local elections in June 2010, he expressed willingness to resign.[6] He offered his resignation on July 29[7][8] and stepped down on August 10 after 10 months of bitter political experience.[9]
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