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Lee Hong-koo
Lee Hong-koo (Korean: 이홍구; May 9, 1934 – May 5, 2026) was a South Korean academic and politician who served as the Prime Minister of South Korea from 1994 to 1995. Lee also held office as South Korean ambassador to the United Kingdom and later to the United States, and was the founding chairman of the East Asia Institute in Seoul.
Lee Hong-Koo's family name ("bongwan") originates with the Jeonju Yi clan, the family of the ruling dynasty of Korea from 1392 to 1910. He is the 15th generation descendant of Yi Jeon, Prince Yeongsan, who was the son of King Seongjong of Joseon.[citation needed]
Lee was born in what was then the designated village of Yeoyu-ri in the Koyang District of Gyeonggi Province (today a part of Yeouido Island, Seoul), in Japanese Korea. Raised in Japanese Gyeongseong (Seoul), he graduated from the elite Gyeonggi High School in 1953 and entered Seoul National University to study law, but dropped out the following year.[citation needed] In 1955 Lee entered Emory University in the United States, majoring in political science, and graduated in 1959.[citation needed] Later he earned Master's degree (1961) and a Doctorate of Philosophy (1968) in political science from Yale University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Emory University in 1978.[citation needed]
Lee was an adjunct professor at Emory University in the United States from 1964 until 1968.[citation needed] A few years later, he returned to the United States, first as a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in 1973, then at Harvard Law School in 1974.
From 1968 or 1969 to 1973, Lee worked in Korea as a professor of political science at Seoul National University, and again served in this capacity after his return from Harvard in about 1974, until his appointment as a government minister in 1988.[citation needed]
Following 33 years in academia, Lee Hong-Koo entered the world of politics and government in 1988, when he was appointed unification minister by president Roh Tae-Woo.[citation needed]
In 1991 Lee was appointed as Korea's ambassador to the United Kingdom, and from 1994 to 1995 Lee served as the 28th Prime Minister of South Korea under President Kim Young-Sam. At this time, Lee was not a member of any party.[citation needed]
In 1996, upon the advice of President Kim Young-Sam, Lee formally entered the New Korea Party to run as a candidate for that party in the then-upcoming National Assembly elections.[citation needed]
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Lee Hong-koo
Lee Hong-koo (Korean: 이홍구; May 9, 1934 – May 5, 2026) was a South Korean academic and politician who served as the Prime Minister of South Korea from 1994 to 1995. Lee also held office as South Korean ambassador to the United Kingdom and later to the United States, and was the founding chairman of the East Asia Institute in Seoul.
Lee Hong-Koo's family name ("bongwan") originates with the Jeonju Yi clan, the family of the ruling dynasty of Korea from 1392 to 1910. He is the 15th generation descendant of Yi Jeon, Prince Yeongsan, who was the son of King Seongjong of Joseon.[citation needed]
Lee was born in what was then the designated village of Yeoyu-ri in the Koyang District of Gyeonggi Province (today a part of Yeouido Island, Seoul), in Japanese Korea. Raised in Japanese Gyeongseong (Seoul), he graduated from the elite Gyeonggi High School in 1953 and entered Seoul National University to study law, but dropped out the following year.[citation needed] In 1955 Lee entered Emory University in the United States, majoring in political science, and graduated in 1959.[citation needed] Later he earned Master's degree (1961) and a Doctorate of Philosophy (1968) in political science from Yale University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Emory University in 1978.[citation needed]
Lee was an adjunct professor at Emory University in the United States from 1964 until 1968.[citation needed] A few years later, he returned to the United States, first as a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in 1973, then at Harvard Law School in 1974.
From 1968 or 1969 to 1973, Lee worked in Korea as a professor of political science at Seoul National University, and again served in this capacity after his return from Harvard in about 1974, until his appointment as a government minister in 1988.[citation needed]
Following 33 years in academia, Lee Hong-Koo entered the world of politics and government in 1988, when he was appointed unification minister by president Roh Tae-Woo.[citation needed]
In 1991 Lee was appointed as Korea's ambassador to the United Kingdom, and from 1994 to 1995 Lee served as the 28th Prime Minister of South Korea under President Kim Young-Sam. At this time, Lee was not a member of any party.[citation needed]
In 1996, upon the advice of President Kim Young-Sam, Lee formally entered the New Korea Party to run as a candidate for that party in the then-upcoming National Assembly elections.[citation needed]