Ban Ki-moon Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth

What is Ban Ki-moon’s net worth?

Ban Ki-moon is a South Korean politician and diplomat who has a net worth of $2.5 million. Ban Ki-moon served as secretary-general of the United Nations from 2007 to 2016, and before that was foreign minister of South Korea from 2004 to 2006. Since leaving the UN, Ban co-founded the Ban Ki-moon Center for Global Citizens and co-chaired the Global Adaptation Center.

Education and early life

Ban Ki-moon was born on June 13, 1944 in a small farming village in Chūseihoku Province, Korea, which was under Japanese control. He soon moved with his family to Chungju. During the Korean War, Ban moved with his family to a remote mountainside. They returned to Chungju after the war and Ban attended Chungju High School. He was a top student at school and in 1962 won an essay contest sponsored by the Red Cross that earned him a trip to the United States and a meeting with President John F. Kennedy. For his higher education, Ban went to Seoul National University, where he graduated in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He later earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University in 1985.

Diplomatic career, 1970-2003

After graduating from university in 1970, Ban earned the highest score on Korea’s foreign service exam and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His first overseas posting was in New Delhi, India, where he served as vice consul. In 1974, he earned his first posting to the United Nations when he became first secretary of the Southern Permanent Observer Mission. At the end of the decade, following the assassination of Park Chung Hee, Ban took over as director of the United Nations Division. He later became director of the UN Office of Treaties and International Organizations in 1980. Ban’s diplomatic posts in the 1990s included director general of American Affairs; vice president of the South-North Joint Nuclear Control Commission; deputy ambassador to the United States; vice minister of policy planning and international organizations; and national security advisor to South Korean President Kim Young-sam.

In 1999, Ban was elected chairman of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. During the negotiations, he caused a stir when he endorsed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty after the United States had already rejected it. As a result, Ban was fired by President Kim Dae-jung. This left him unemployed for the first time in his career. Surprisingly, Ban was appointed chief of staff to General Assembly President Han Seung-soo in 2001. A couple of years later, he became foreign policy advisor to the new South Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun.

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South Korean Foreign Minister

In 2004, Ban became South Korea’s foreign minister under President Roh Moo-hyun. He served in that role until 2006. As foreign minister, Ban worked on issues relating to North and South Korean affairs, played a key role in diplomatic efforts to adopt the Joint Declaration to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, signed several trade agreements, and provided foreign aid to diplomats. He traveled constantly, reaching every country in the UN Security Council in a move that is credited with making him a favorite for the UN secretary-general position.

secretary general of the united nations

Ban launched his campaign for secretary general of the United Nations in early 2006. That October he was elected and on the first day of 2007 he officially succeeded Kofi Annan of Ghana in office. Ban had a powerful and productive tenure at the UN. As Secretary-General, a position he held until 2016, he was responsible for a series of major reforms to UN peacekeeping and working practices around the world. Ban strongly advocated for action against global warming, for peace in Darfur, and for the protection of LGBTQ rights. Another of his main achievements was helping to ratify the Paris Agreement less than a year after its adoption. Ban left the UN at the end of 2016 and was succeeded by the Portuguese António Guterres.

Post-UN career

After leaving the UN, Ban was widely thought to be a potential candidate for the 2017 South Korean presidential election. However, he announced that he would not run. Instead, Ban was elected president of the Ethics Commission of the International Olympic Committee. He also co-founded the Ban Ki-moon Center for Global Citizens with former Austrian president Heinz Fischer. Located in Vienna, the nonprofit organization works to cultivate leadership among future generations. In 2018, Ban became vice president of the international human rights NGO The Elders and leader of the Global Green Growth Institute in South Korea. In other roles, he co-chairs the Global Adaptation Center and is a Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment at Yonsei University.

personal life

In 1971, Ban married his high school sweetheart, Yoo Soon-taek. They have three children together: Seon-yong, Woo-hyun and Hyun-hee.