Lee Hong-koo obit

Former Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo Dies at 92

Renowned scholar, diplomat served as ambassador to UK, US; key figure during IMF crisis 

He was not on the list.

Lee Hong-koo, 92 years old, former Prime Minister, died on the 5th.

The late former Prime Minister was born in 1934, graduated from Gyeonggi High School, and enrolled in the Department of Public Administration at Seoul National University College of Law before dropping out the following year and departing for studies in the United States. After majoring in philosophy at Emory University and earning a master’s and doctoral degree in political science at Yale University, he returned to Korea in 1968 and began serving as a professor in the Department of Political Science at Seoul National University the following year. He continued his academic career, serving as president of the Korean Political Science Association and a member of the executive committee of the World Political Science Association.

His life took a new direction in 1988 when he entered the government as Minister of Home Affairs and Unification. He later served as Presidential Special Political Advisor and Ambassador to the United Kingdom. In the Kim Young-sam administration, he held the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Unification before being appointed as the 28th Prime Minister in 1994.

After completing his term as Prime Minister, he entered politics in 1996 as a representative commissioner of the New Korea Party. In the 15th general election held that year, he entered the National Assembly as a proportional representation member. When the Kim Dae-jung administration was launched, he resigned from his parliamentary seat in 1998 and was appointed as Ambassador to the United States. At the time, following the IMF crisis, Korea-U.S. relations were more critical than ever.

After returning to Korea in 2000, he was active across academia, politics, and media. He also served as chairman of the Seoul International Forum, advisor to the Korean War Memorial Foundation, and advisor to the Korea Volleyball Association, and was a director of the Asan Social Welfare Foundation.

Survivors include his wife, Park Han-ok; son, Hyun-woo (EIG Asia Representative); daughters, So-young and Min-young (professor at Dongduk Women’s University); daughter-in-law, Hwang Ji-young (chair of the Hong Kong Korean Women’s Association); and son-in-law, Lee Kang-ho (professor at the Korea National University of Arts). The funeral has been set up at Room 20 of the Asan Medical Center Funeral Hall, with condolences accepted from 3 p.m. on the 5th. The funeral service will be held at 8 a.m. on the 8th, and the burial site will be Cheonan Park Cemetery.