Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea, the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations, brings to his post 37 years of service both in government and on the global stage.

At the time of his election as secretary-general, Ban was his country's minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. His long tenure with the ministry included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C. and Vienna, and responsibility for a variety of portfolios, including foreign policy advisor to the president, chief national security advisor to the president, deputy minister for policy planning and director-general of American affairs. Throughout this service, his guiding vision was that of a peaceful Korean peninsula, playing an expanding role for peace and prosperity in the region and the wider world.

Ban has longstanding ties with the United Nations, dating back to 1975, when he worked for the Foreign Ministry's United Nations division. That work expanded over the years, with assignments as first secretary at the ROK's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, director of the UN Division at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul, and ambassador to Vienna, during which time, in 1999, he served as chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. In 2001-2002, as chef-de-cabinet during the ROK's presidency of the General Assembly, he facilitated the prompt adoption of the first resolution of the session, condemning the terrorist attacks of September 11, and a number of other initiatives aimed at strengthening the Assembly's functioning.

Ban has also been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations. In 1992, as special advisor to the foreign minister, he served as vice chair of the South-North Joint Nuclear Control Commission following the adoption of the historic Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In September 2005, as foreign minister, he played a leading role in bringing about the adoption at the Six-Party Talks of the joint statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

Ban received a bachelor's degree in international relations by Seoul National University in 1970. In 1985, he earned a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University.