Kim Doo-kwan

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Kim Doo-kwan (Korean: 김두관; born 10 April 1959) is a South Korean Democratic Party politician, former civil servant, and former governor of South Gyeongsang Province. He was elected governor in the 2010 local elections as an independent after two previous unsuccessful attempts. He served as Minister for Home Affairs under the administration of Roh Moo-hyun, and at one point was seen as a potential contender for the DUP nomination in the 2012 presidential election.

Kim Doo-kwan 김두관
Kim in 2012
Member of the National Assembly
In office 30 May 2016 – 29 May 2024
Preceded by	Hong Chul-ho
Succeeded by	Kim Tae-ho
Constituency	Gimpo A (2016–2020) Yangsan B (2020–2024)
Governor of South Gyeongsang Province
In office 1 July 2010 – 6 July 2012
Preceded by	Kim Tae-ho
Succeeded by	Hong Jun-pyo
Minister of the Interior
In office 27 February 2003 – 18 September 2003
President	Roh Moo-hyun
Preceded by	Lee Keun-shik
Succeeded by	Huh Sung-kwan
Personal details
Born	(1959-04-10) 10 April 1959 (age 66) Namhae, South Korea
Political party	Democratic Party of Korea
Alma mater	Dong-A University
Korean name
Hangul	김두관
Hanja	金斗官
RR	Gim Dugwan
MR	Kim Tugwan
Dharma name
Hangul	웅기
Hanja	雄氣
RR	Unggi
MR	Unggi

Early life and education

Kim Doo-kwan was born in a village in Namhae on 10 April 1959. He studied at the Department of Political Diplomacy of Dong-A University, graduating in 1987.^[1]

Political career

After serving as Secretary-General of the Namhae farmers' association from 1987, Kim was prefect of Namhae County in the 1990s. He failed in a bid to become governor of South Gyeongsang in 2002. In 2003, he was chosen as Minister for Government Administration and Home Affairs by Roh Moo-hyun, but on 3 September of that year the National Assembly voted to dismiss him. He unsuccessfully contested Namhae in the 2004 National Assembly elections for the Uri Party, winning 16.9% of the vote.^[2] He subsequently lost a second attempt to become governor in 2006.

Governorship

In the 2010 local elections, Kim won an upset victory in the South Gyeongsang gubernatorial election as an independent candidate, and took office as governor on 1 July 2010. Despite originally promising to maintain his independence, in February 2011 he joined the Democratic United Party.^[3]

Party politics

After the party's defeat in the 2012 parliamentary elections, Kim emerged as an alternative candidate for the DUP nomination for that year's presidential election,^[4] though he had been considered as a potential frontrunner beforehand.^[5] He has been termed the "little Roh Moo-hyun" on account of his unprivileged background and his principles.^[3]

Kim declared his candidacy for the 2025 South Korean presidential election.^[6] However, he withdrew from the campaign on 18 April, after he had criticized the Democratic Party's rules in conducting its primaries as being biased in favor of another candidate.^[7]