Son Myung-soon

Son Myung-soon
First Lady of South Korea
Assumed office 25 February 1993 – 24 February 1998
President	Kim Young-sam
Preceded by	Kim Ok-suk
Succeeded by	Lee Hee-ho
Personal details
Born	(1929-01-29) 29 January 1929 (age 92) Jinyeong-eup, South Gyeongsang Province, Japanese Korea
Spouse(s)	Kim Young-sam ​ (m. 1951)​
Children	5
Alma mater	Ewha Womans University
Religion	Presbyterianism (GAPCK)

Son Myung-soon (Hangul:손명순, Hanja:孫命順) (also transliterated as Sohn Myung Soon) (born 16 January 1929)^[1] is the widow of South Korean President Kim Young-sam. She was the first lady when Kim Young-sam was in office, from 1993 to 1998.^{[2] [3]}

Biography[]

Son was born in South Gyeongsang Province on 29 January 1929 during the Japanese occupation of Korea to Sang-ho and Geunyi Kim. She had two sisters who died early and her birth mother died on 1935. Her father later remarried to Gam Deok-soon, and had two more sons and six more daughters. Her father Sang-ho ran the largest rubber factory in Yeongnam and was called the 'Masan chaebol'.

Son graduated from Jin Young Daechang Elementary School in Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do and Masan Girls' High School in Changwon. She later attended Ewha Womans University, where she took course in Pharmacy and married Kim Young-sam in 1951. During her third year in Ewha, a new rule was established, which prohibited marriage of enrolled students. However, with the help of others, even after giving birth to her first child, she kept her marriage secret until graduation and was able to finish her studies.

On December 18, 1992, Kim Young-sam was elected President of South Korea. And when he took office as president on February 24, 1993, Son Myung-soon began working as First Lady of South Korea. As First Lady, she helped to build a restaurant or lounge in Blue House for attendants, drivers, and female employees. Son was praised for being a quiet helper and for emphasizing the traditional role of women.

Personal life[]

Son and Kim Young-sam had five children: 3 daughters (Kim Hye-young, Kim Hye-jeong, Kim Hye-suk) and 2 sons (Kim Hyun-cheol, Euncheol Kim). Kim Hyun-cheol currently serves as Executive Director of Kim Young-sam Democratic Center.

Honours[]

•  South Korea:
  • Honorary Recipient of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa (1993)

References[]