Rhyu Si-min

Rhyu Si-min (; born 28 July 1959) is a South Korean politician who served as the 44th Minister of Health and Welfare from February 2006 to May 2007 under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.

Rhyu studied economics at Seoul National University and later earned a master's degree in economics from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. He worked as a journalist for The Dong-A Ilbo and The Hankyoreh, before entering politics in August 2002.

In February 2006, he became Minister of Health and Welfare but resigned on 22 May 2007. On 18 August 2007, he announced his candidacy for president, but later dropped out during the primary.

Later, Rhyu was elected to the National Assembly as a member of the United New Democratic Party, representing the Deogyang A district.

He was selected by the liberal opposition parties to run for governor of Gyeonggi Province on 13 May 2010. In December 2011, Rhyu agreed to merge his People's Participation Party with the Unified Progressive Party and served as one of the co-chairs after the merger.

He announced his retirement from politics on 19 February 2013.

Career After graduating from Shim-in Senior High School in Daegu, he attended Seoul National University, where he served as president of the student council in the 1980s. He actively opposed Chun Doo-hwan's military regime, advocating for freedom and democracy in South Korea. During this period, he was arrested in connection with the Seoul National University Campus Informant Scandal and subsequently forced to serve 33 months of military service near the demilitarized zone. Rhyu gained prominence within South Korea's pro-democracy movement after his Grounds For Appeal was published, challenging Seoul District Court's verdict.

In November 1988, Rhyu married Han Gyeong-hye, a fellow participant in the pro-democracy movement and a Seoul National University graduate in mathematics. He served as an aide to Assemblyman Lee Hae Chan for 2 years, until February 1991. In 1992, Rhyu and his wife traveled to Germany to pursue further studies in their respective fields.

Since 2019, Rhyu has hosted a YouTube show and podcast called Alileo, which translates to "I'd like to let you know".

On 25 September 2020, Rhyu sparked controversy in South Korea by referring to Kim Jong Un as an "Enlightenment monarch" after the North Korean leader issued an official apology for the killing of a South Korean official, who had allegedly attempted to defect to North Korea.

Election results Year Elections Constituency Political party Votes (%) Results 2003 2003 By-election Goyang Deogyang A (Gyeonggi) People's Party for Reform 14,833 (43.28%) Won 2004 17th National Assembly General Election Goyang Deogyang A (Gyeonggi) Uri Party 40,288 (47.93%) Won 2008 18th National Assembly General Election Suseong B (Daegu) Independent 23,005 (32.59%) Defeated 2012 19th National Assembly General Election Proportional representation (12nd) Unified Progressive Party 2,198,082 (10.30%) Not Elected

Local elections Governor of Gyeonggi Year Elections Constituency Political party Votes (%) Remarks 2010 5th Iocal Election Gyeonggi(Governoral Elections) People's Participation Party 2,079,892 (47.79%) Defeated