Chi Hyun Chung


Chi Hyun Chung is a Korean-Bolivian doctor, evangelical pastor, political scientist and politician. He became notable in the country's media for his criticism of the LGBT community. Chung was a candidate for the President of Bolivia for the Christian Democratic Party in the 2019 Bolivian general election. Due to his conservative ideology, some international media has described Chung as the "Bolivian Bolsonaro".

Biography

Chi Hyun Chung was born in the city of Gwangju in South Korea on March 7, 1970 to Korean parents. Chung lived and grew up in an evangelical family. In 1976 his family moved to live in Seoul. Some time later, the Korean Presbyterian Church sent Chung's family to the Americas as evangelical missionaries in Bolivia.
The Korean family arrived in Bolivia in 1982, when Chung was 12 years old. Initially they lived in the city of La Paz and then moved to Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Chung continued his secondary studies, graduating in 1988 from the Bolivian-Brazilian Baptist School. In 1989, Chi Hyun Chung moved to Sucre City to continue his higher education. That year he entered the University of Saint Francis Xavier, graduating in 1995 as a physician by profession. He returned to the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra to obtain his master's degree in higher education and his master's degree in health and public health management.
During his professional life, Chi Hyun Chung served as director of the UCEBOL clinic, as well as founding 70 Presbyterian churches in Bolivia. Chi Hyun Chung is currently the president of the Presbyterian Church in Bolivia.