Ban Ki-Moon, 1944-, South Korean diplomat, secretary-general of the United Nations (2007-), b. Chungju, grad. Seoul National Univ. (B.S., 1970), Kennedy School of Government, Harvard (M.P.A., 1985). A career diplomat, Ban held a series of posts in the South Korean foreign ministry and in its embassies abroad, including ambassador to Austria (1998-2000) and to the United Nations (2001-2) and minister of foreign affairs and trade (2004-6). In 2006 he was elected to succeed Kofi Annan as UN secretary-general.