Ban Ki-moon ( born June 13 1944 in Eumseong , North Chungcheong , Korea ) is a South Korean former politician . He became the Secretary-General of the United Nations on January 1 , 2007 , after Kofi Annan . Ban Ki-moon ( hanja : æ 1\/2 å æ -- ; born 13 June 1944 ) is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations , after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007 .