Kim Min-seok

Kim Min-seok (Korean: 김민석, born 29 May 1964) is a South Korean activist, educator and politician. He was the Member of the National Assembly for Yeongdeungpo 2nd constituency from 1996 to 2002. Born in Seoul, Kim has degrees from Seoul National University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Tsinghua University and Rutgers University – New Brunswick. He was detained for occupying the American Culture Centre in Seoul. He was elected to the National Assembly in the 1996 election. He was one of rising stars of the Democrats but fell down when he competed as the Mayor of Seoul in the 2002 local elections but lost to Lee Myung-bak who later became the President of the Republic. He was not able to make a comeback, until he was elected again as the MP for Yeongdeungpo 2nd in the 2020 election. Early life Kim Min-seok was born in Seoul in 1964, the youngest of three children born to Kim Joo-wan and Kim Choon-ok. His oldest brother, Kim Min-woong, is the Pastor of Gillbott Church in River Edge, New Jersey, United States. His second eldest brother, Kim Min-hwa, died in 1987 due to a traffic collision. He attended Soongsil High School and studied sociology at Seoul National University. In 1982, his brother Kim Min-woong went to the United States to study political science at the University of Delaware but soon changed his mind to be a pastor. However, he led a reunification movement at there and therefore was unable to return to South Korea till 2002 due to the breach of the National Security Act. 3 years later, Kim Min-seok was elected the President of the Student Council at his university but was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in jail for leading the American Culture Centre occupation case. He was released on 27 February 1988 after being pardoned by the newly-elected President Roh Tae-woo. Following his detention, his mother Kim Choon-ok established the Council for the Movement of Families for the Fulfillment of Democracy, a pro-democracy organisation. Ms Kim visited his oldest son in 1999, until then she could not make it as the Embassy of the United States refused her application for visa due to her youngest son's activist career.