11 Facts About Yang Sung-chul

Yang Sung-chul was born on 20 November 1939 and is a South Korean political scientist, politician, and diplomat.

Yang Sung-chul did his undergraduate studies at Seoul National University's Department of Political Science.

Yang Sung-chul went on to the University of Kentucky for his doctoral studies, where he defended a dissertation comparing the South Korean April Revolution of 1960 which led to the resignation of Syngman Rhee and the May 16 coup the following year which brought Park Chung-hee to power.

Yang Sung-chul taught at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Indiana University in Bloomington, and Pembroke State University in Pembroke, North Carolina.

Yang Sung-chul returned to South Korea in 1986 as a visiting professor at Seoul National University.

Yang Sung-chul was elected to the 15th National Assembly in the 1996 elections.

Yang Sung-chul served on the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.

In May 2000, just in advance of the first Inter-Korean summit, South Korean newspapers began to report that Yang Sung-chul had been chosen as Seoul's next ambassador to the United States.

Yang Sung-chul's appointment was a surprise due to his relative lack of political and diplomatic experience.

Yang Sung-chul went on to become a professor at Korea University's Graduate School of International Studies.

Yang Sung-chul served as the chairperson of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation Advisory Committee from August 2007 to 2012.