Kang Bong-kyun (Korean: 강봉균; May 13, 1943 – January 31, 2017) was a South Korean economist and politician who served as Minister of Finance from 1999 to 2000 during the height and aftermath of the Asian financial crisis. Kang was appointed Finance Minister by President Kim Dae-jung at a time when many other politicians and civil servants refused to take the cabinet position. The financial crisis stemmed from reckless borrowing and spending from the South Korean banking sector, as well as mismanagement by the chaebol, or South Korean business conglomerates.