Yun Po-sun

{{short description|President of South Korea from 1960 to 1962}} {{family name hatnote|Yun||lang=Korean}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = 윤보선 대통령 존영2 (cropped).jpg | caption = Official portrait {{c.}} 1960 | office = President of South Korea | vice_president = ''Position abolished'' | leader = Park Chung-hee | prime_minister = {{plainlist| * Ho Chong * Chang Myon * Chang Do-yong (acting) {{efn|name=Supreme Council|as Chief Cabinet Minister of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction.}} * Song Yo-chan (acting) {{efn|name=Supreme Council}} }} | order = 2nd | term_start = August 13, 1960 | term_end = March 24, 1962 | predecessor = Syngman Rhee Baek Nak-jun (acting) | successor = Park Chung-hee | office1 = 2nd Mayor of Seoul | president1 = Syngman Rhee | vice_president1 = Yi Si-yeong | prime_minister1 = Lee Beom-seok | term_start1 = December 15, 1948 | term_end1 = June 5, 1949 | predecessor1 = {{interlanguage link|Kim Hyong-min|ko|김형민 (1909년)}} | successor1 = Lee Ki-poong | birth_date = {{Birth date|1897|8|26|mf=y}} | birth_place = Asan County, South Chungcheong Province, Joseon | death_date = {{death date and age|1990|7|18|1897|8|26}} | death_place = Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea | resting_place = Yun Family Cemetery, Asan | spouse = {{marriage|Min Kyung-suk|1915|1937|end=died}} {{marriage|Gong Deok-gwi|1948}} | children = 4 | party = Democratic (1955) New Democratic (1967) | signature = Yoon Po-Seon signature.svg | module = {{Infobox Korean name/auto | hangul = %윤보선 | hanja = 尹潽善 | hangulho = %_해위 | hanjaho = 海葦 | hangulja = %_경천 | hanjaja = 敬天 | child = yes }} | relations = Yun Chi-sung (uncle) | module2 = {{Listen voice | filename = Yun Po-sun's inaugural address after being sworn into office.wav | description = Yun's inaugural address after being sworn into office | recorded = August 13, 1960 <hr /> {{Infobox academic | alma_mater = University of Edinburgh (MA) | doctoral_advisor = V. Gordon Childe<ref>{{cite web |author= |date=October 28, 2024 |title=Yun Posun (1897 – 1990) |url=https://alumni.ed.ac.uk/services/notable-alumni/alumni-in-history/yun-posun |website=alumni.ed.ac.uk |location=Scotland |publisher=The University of Edinburgh |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref> }} }} }} '''Yun Po-sun''' ({{korean|hangul=윤보선}}, {{IPA|ko|junbosʌn|pron}} or {{IPA|ko|jun|}} {{IPA|ko|posʌn|}}; August 26, 1897 – July 18, 1990) was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the second president of South Korea from 1960 to 1962. He was the only president of the short-lived Second Republic of Korea, and served as little more than a figurehead due to its nature as a parliamentary system.

Having entered politics after World War II, Yun served as Secretary to Korea's Chief of Staff in 1947, and was Mayor of Seoul in 1948. He served as Commerce Minister for the newly liberated Korea from 1949 to 1950. In 1955, Yun helped establish the South Korean Democratic Party. He was forced to resign the presidency by Park Chung Hee as a result of the May 16 coup in 1961.

== Early life == Yun Po-sun was born in Dunpo-myeon, Asan, South Chungcheong Province in 1897. He was a son of Yun Chi-so (윤치소, 尹致昭, 1871–1944) and Lady Yi Beom-suk (이범숙, 李範淑, 1876–1969). Yun Chiso is the second son of Yun Yeong-ryeol (윤영렬;尹英烈). Yun Yeong-ryeol is an 8th generation descendant of the prominent Joseon scholar-official Yun Tusu. Yun studied in the United Kingdom around 1925,<ref>{{cite web |author= |date=October 28, 2024 |title=Yun Posun (1897 – 1990) |url=https://alumni.ed.ac.uk/services/notable-alumni/alumni-in-history/yun-posun |website=alumni.ed.ac.uk |location=Scotland |publisher=The University of Edinburgh |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref> graduating with a Master of Arts from the University of Edinburgh in 1930. He returned to Korea in 1932.

== Political career == {{Unreferenced section|date=October 2023}} Yun entered politics in 1945 following Gwangbokjeol (Liberation Day) by October of the same year Yun became Advisor to the Department of Agriculture and Commerce of the US Military Government, Administrative Advisory Committee, Advisor to the Financial and Economic Committee, and lastly the advisor to the governor of Kyungki province.<ref>{{cite web |author= |date=October 28, 2024 |title=Yun Posun (1897 – 1990) |url=https://alumni.ed.ac.uk/services/notable-alumni/alumni-in-history/yun-posun |website=alumni.ed.ac.uk |location=Scotland |publisher=The University of Edinburgh |access-date=April 5, 2026}}</ref> The first Doctor of Philosophy from Princeton University in Korea, as well as first President of South Korea, Dr. Syngman Rhee, was his mentor. By 1947, Yun was serving as Secretary to the Korean Chief of Staff. In 1948, Rhee appointed Yun to the position of mayor of Seoul. A year later, he was made Minister of Commerce and Industry. However, Yun soon began to disagree with Rhee's authoritarian policies.

While serving as president of the Red Cross Society, he was elected to the National Assembly in 1954. A year later, he co-founded the opposition South Korean Democratic Party. In 1959, he became a representative to the Supreme Council of the Democratic Party.

== Presidency (1960–62) == {{Infobox administration|image=Yun Bo-seon.jpg|name=Presidency of Yun Po-sun|term_start=August 13, 1960|term_end=March 24, 1962|cabinet=''Full list''|party=Democratic|election=August 1960|seat=Seoul|predecessor=Syngman Rhee|successor=Park Chung Hee|president_link=President of South Korea|premier_link=Prime Minister of South Korea|premier=Ho Chong Chang Myon Chang Do-yong Song Yo-chan|seal=Seal of the President of the Republic of Korea.svg|constituency=Second Republic (1960–1961) SCNR (1961–1962)}}

Rhee's government was ousted by a student-led, pro-democracy uprising in 1960; and Yun was elected president by the newly elected parliament on August 13, with Chang Myon as prime minister. In the aftermath of the authoritarian excesses of Rhee's regime, South Korea had switched to a parliamentary system; thus, Yun served merely as a ceremonial president.

Following Park Chung Hee's coup in 1961, Yun stayed in his post in order to provide some legitimacy to the new regime, but resigned on March 24, 1962. In the following years, Yun received suspended sentences several times for anti-government activities. He opposed Park's authoritarian rule<ref name="Yun Bo-Seon criticizes US policy towards Korea.">{{cite journal|title=The Japan-Korea Normalization Process and Korean Anti-Americanism|journal=Asian Survey|volume=6|issue=4|pages=241–248|year=1966|jstor=2642122|last1=Mobius|first1=J. Mark|doi=10.2307/2642122}}</ref> and ran for president twice, in 1963 and 1967, losing both times.

== Post presidency (1962–1990) == Yun retired from politics in 1980 and focused his life on cultural activities until his death in 1990.{{citation needed|date = July 2024}}

== Death and state funeral == Yun Posun died at Anguk-dong, Jongno District, Seoul at the age of 92. He was accorded a state funeral by President Roh Tae-woo and was interred at Seonsan, Asan, South Chungcheong Province.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yun Po Sun, 92, Dies; Ex-President of Korea|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/19/obituaries/yun-po-sun-92-dies-ex-president-of-korea.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 19, 1990}}</ref>

== Awards == * Grand Order of Mugunghwa * In-Cheon Cultural Award<ref>Note: The Kim Seong-su Memoriam</ref>

== Notes == {{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== Further reading == * "Road of Thorns; The National Salvation"; autobiography; (구국의 가시밭길)》 (1967) * "Select the Days of Lonely"; (외로운 선택의 나날들)》 (1991)

== External links == {{commons category}} * [http://www.yunposun.or.kr/ Official website] {{in lang|ko}} * [http://www.yunposun.com/ Papyeong Yun clan website] * [https://archive.today/20140416194654/http://www.rokps.or.kr/m4_profile_view.asp?num=401 Yun Posun] at Heonjeonghoe {{in lang|ko}} * [http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/Index?contents_id=E0042339 Yun Posun] at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture {{in lang|ko}} * [https://www.seoul.go.kr/seoul/mayor.do 역대서울시장 Former Mayors of Seoul] (In Korean)

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box |before = Heo Jeong (Acting) |title = President of South Korea |years = 13 August 1960–22 March 1962 |after = Park Chung Hee }} {{succession box |before = Kim Hyung-min |title = Mayor of Seoul City |years = 1948–1949 |after = Lee Ki-poong }} {{succession box |before = Lim Young-sin |title = Commerce Minister of South Korea |years = 1949–1950 |after = Kim Hoon }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yun, Po-sun}} Category:Yun Po-sun Category:1897 births Category:1990 deaths Category:20th-century mayors of places in South Korea Category:People from Asan Category:People from South Chungcheong Province Category:Presidents of South Korea Category:South Korean civil rights activists Category:Government ministers of South Korea Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Category:South Korean democracy activists Category:Recipients of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa Category:Kim Kyu-sik Category:Leaders ousted by a coup Category:Democratic Party (South Korea, 1955) politicians Category:South Korean anti-communists Category:South Korean Presbyterians Category:Liberal Party (South Korea) politicians Category:Mayors of Seoul Category:Members of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea Category:Korean expatriates in the United Kingdom