Lee Hong-koo

Lee Hong-Koo (Korean: 이홍구; Hanja: 李洪九; born 9 May 1934) is a South Korean former 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 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 is the son of King Seongjong of Joseon. He was born in what was then the (village-designated) Yeoyu-ri, Koyang District, Gyeonggi Province (today a part of Yeouido Island, Seoul), in Japanese Korea. Raised in Japanese Gyeongseong (Seoul), in 1953, he graduated from the elite Gyeonggi High School. The same year, he entered Seoul National University to study law but dropped out the following year.

In 1955, Lee entered Emory University in the United States majoring in political science, and graduated in 1959. Later he earned MA (1961) and PhD (1968) degrees in political science from Yale University. He was an adjunct professor at Emory University from 1964 until 1968. In 1973–1974, he returned again to the United States, first as a fellow at Woodrow Wilson International Center (think tank) in 1973, and then at Harvard Law School in 1974.

Lee was awarded an honorary doctorate by Emory University in 1978.

In 1968 or 1969, Lee returned to Korea to serve as professor of political science at Korea's top university, Seoul National University through 1973, and again served in this capacity after his return from Harvard circa 1974. He served as professor at SNU until his appointment as a government minister in 1988.

Following 33 years in academia (around half in the U.S. and half in Seoul), Lee Hong-Koo entered the world of politics and government when in 1988, he was appointed unification minister by newly elected president Roh Tae-Woo.

In 1991, Lee was appointed South Korean Ambassador to the United Kingdom, also by Roh, and from 1994-95 Lee served as the 28th prime minister of the Republic of Korea under President Kim Young-Sam (though as Korea is a strong presidential system, the position of prime minister is subordinate to the presidency). At this time, Lee was not a member of any party.

In 1996, upon the advice of then-President Kim Young-Sam, Lee Hong-Koo formally entered the New Korea Party to run as a candidate for that party in the then-upcoming National Assembly elections.