Here's a look at the life of Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General.

Personal: Birth date: June 13, 1944

Birth place: Chunchongbuk-do Umsong, Republic of Korea

Birth name: Ban Ki-moon

Parents: Names unknown to Fast Facts researchers.

Marriage: Yoo Soon-taek (1971 - present)

Children: One son and two daughters

Education: Seoul National University, B.A., 1970; Harvard University, M.A., 1985

Other Facts: Name is pronounced Bahn Gi-moon, with the K uttered as a hard "g". As with many East Asian countries, the first name is actually the last name. Therefore he is referred to as Mr. Ban.

As a teen, he won a Red Cross sponsored trip to the U.S. He met President John F. Kennedy, and decided then that he wanted to become a diplomat.

Timeline: 1970 - Passes the South Korean Foreign Service exam.

1972-1974 - Vice-consul, South Korean Consulate General in India

1974-1978 - Second Secretary, South Korean Embassy in India.

1978-1980 - Secretary, South Korean Permanent Observer Mission to the UN.

1987-1990 - Consul General, South Korean Embassy to the US in Washington D.C.

1992-1995 - Minister, South Korean Embassy to the US.

1996 - National Security Adviser to South Korean President Kim Young-sam.

1998-2000 - South Korean Ambassador to Austria.

1999 - Chairman of the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization.

2001-2002 - Chef de Cabinet during the South Korean presidency of the UN General Assembly.

2003 - Foreign Policy Adviser to the South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun.

January 2004 - Appointed South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

February 14, 2006 - Officially declares his candidacy for secretary-general.

October 9, 2006 - Formally nominated by the United Nations Security Council to be the next secretary-general, replacing Kofi Annan.

October 13, 2006 - Appointed by the UN General Assembly.