Kwon Yang-sook

In this Korean name, the family name is Kwon.

Kwon Yang-sook (Korean: 권양숙; pronounced [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.

Kwon Yang-sook
권양숙
Yang-sook in 2004
First Lady of South Korea
In role 25 February 2003 – 24 February 2008
President	Roh Moo-hyun
Preceded by	Lee Hee-ho
Succeeded by	Kim Yoon-ok
Personal details
Born	(1947-12-23) December 23, 1947 (age 77) Masan, South Gyeongsang, southern Korea
Spouse	Roh Moo-hyun ​ ​ (m. 1972; died 2009)​
Education	Hoonsung Girls' Commercial High School (dropped out)
Korean name
Hangul	권양숙
Hanja	權良淑
RR	Gwon Yangsuk
MR	Kwŏn Yangsuk
Dharma name
Hangul	대덕화
Hanja	大德華
RR	Daedeokhwa
MR	Taedŏkhwa

Career

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

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]

Gallery

• 
  Kwon in India with Roh Moo-hyun, Manmohan Singh, and A.P.J Abdul Kalam in 2004
• 
  Kwon and Roh Moo-hyun at the 2006 APEC gala dinner with President Vladimir Putin of Russia (centre) and George W. Bush and Laura Bush (right)
• 
  Kwon Yang-suk (left) with U.S. First Lady Laura Bush