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Kwon Yang-sook

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Kwon Yang-sook
권양숙
First Lady of South Korea
In role
25 February 2003 – 24 February 2008
PresidentRoh Moo-hyun
Preceded byLee Hee-ho
Succeeded byKim Yoon-ok
Personal details
Born (1947-12-23) December 23, 1947 (age 76)
Masan, South Gyeongsang, Southern Korea
Spouse
(m. 1972; died 2009)
EducationHoonsung Girls' Commercial High School (dropped out)
Kwon Yang-sook
Hangul
권양숙
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGwon Yang-suk
McCune–ReischauerKwŏn Yangsuk
Dharma name
Hangul
대덕화
Hanja
Revised RomanizationDaedeokhwa
McCune–ReischauerTaedŏkhwa

Kwon Yang-sook (Korean권양숙; Hanja權良淑; Korean pronunciation: [kwʌn jaŋ.suk]; born December 23, 1947) was the First Lady of South Korea from 2003 to 2008. She is the widow of the ninth president of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, who committed suicide on May 23, 2009.

Career

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She is a Buddhist, with the Dharma name Daedeokhwa, and won support from the Buddhist community during her husband's presidential campaign.[1]

After Roh's term ended, Kwon was embroiled in a bribery scandal involving her husband. According to Roh's website, Kwon borrowed $1 million from Park Yeon-Cha, CEO of Taekwang Industry, to repay a personal debt.

Impostor

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In November 2018, a woman falsely claiming to be Kwon Yang-sook convinced the mayor of Gwanju at the time, Yoon Jang-hyun, to transfer her 450 million won. According to reports, the impostor claimed that she needed the requested money for her daughter and would pay it back hastily.[2]

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References

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  1. ^ Mee-yoo, Kwon (2009-05-27). "Roh's Funeral to Be Imbued With Buddhism". The Korea Times. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  2. ^ "South Korean politician duped out of US$400,000 by fake former first lady". South China Morning Post. 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
Honorary titles
Preceded by First Lady of South Korea
2003–2008
Succeeded by