SEOUL, May 05 (AJP) - Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo, a prominent scholar-statesman who led the government during the mid-1990s and managed critical diplomatic ties with the United States, died on May 5. He was 92.
Lee served as a rare bridge between academia and high-level politics, holding senior positions under both conservative and liberal administrations. His career spanned several pivotal moments in modern South Korean history, including the 1997~1998 Asian financial crisis.
Born in 1934, Lee graduated from the Seoul National University College of Law before pursuing further studies in the United States. He earned a doctorate in political science from Yale University and returned to South Korea in 1968 to serve as a professor at his alma mater.
His transition to public service began in 1988 when he was appointed as the Minister of National Unification. He later served as a special advisor to the president and as the ambassador to the United Kingdom before being named the 28th prime minister in 1994 under President Kim Young-sam.
In 1998, under the liberal Kim Dae-jung administration, Lee took the post of ambassador to the United States. He is credited with stabilizing the bilateral relationship during the height of the economic turmoil commonly referred to in South Korea as the IMF crisis.
After returning from Washington in 2000, Lee joined the JoongAng Ilbo as an advisor. He remained an active public voice through a regular column where he provided insights on inter-Korean relations and domestic political affairs.
Lee is survived by his wife, Park Han-ok, his son Lee Hyun-woo, and his daughters Lee So-young and Lee Min-young. The family includes daughter-in-law Hwang Ji-young and son-in-law Lee Kang-ho.
A funeral service will be held at the Seoul Asan Hospital until May 8, followed by burial at the Cheonan Memorial Park.
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