Lee Hae-chan

Lee was born on 10 July 1952 in Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong. His father, Lee In-yong, served as a local town head. In his memoirs, Lee described his childhood as comfortable. He moved to Seoul for his education, graduating from Yongsan High School before entering Seoul National University in 1971 as a textile engineering major. He soon dropped out to pursue social activism and reenrolled the following year as a sociology major. In 1979, the year of the 12 December military coup by Major General Chun Doo-hwan, he founded the publishing house Dolbegae. Lee graduated from college in 1985, 14 years after his initial enrollment. During the June Democratic Struggle in 1987, Lee served as the chief of the situation room for the National Movement Headquarters for the Attainment of a Democratic Constitution. In that same year, he entered mainstream politics by joining Kim Dae-jung's Peace Democratic Party and participated as a founding member of the liberal The Hankyoreh newspaper. ==Political career==

Entry to politics In 1988, Kim Dae-jung recruited him to run in the 13th general election for the National Assembly. As the Peace Democratic Party's candidate in Seoul's Gwanak B constituency, Lee defeated candidate Kim Chong-in from the ruling Democratic Justice Party of President Roh Tae-woo and the Reunification Democratic Party candidate of Kim Young-sam. Lee was subsequently re-elected in the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 elections in Gwanak, and for Sejong in the 2012 and 2016 National Assembly elections, never losing an election, earning him the sobriquet "the king of elections". During the 1997 presidential election, Lee oversaw campaign strategy for the Kim Dae-jung campaign. Kim valued Lee's ability to analyze demographics, voter turnout and generational trends. After Kim's victory, Lee was appointed education minister at age 45. His nomination as prime minister was met with some resistance due to his record as minister of education, which many considered a failure. After taking office, however, Lee proved an able prime minister, being described by some as the most powerful prime minister South Korea had seen. The president focused on long-term strategic leadership while Lee took full command of state administration and policy implementation. By coordinating ministries and driving complex decisions to closure, Lee effectively popularized the concept of a powerhouse prime minister or "silse chongri" in Korean. 2007 presidential bid Lee ran for the nomination of the Grand Unified Democratic New Party for the 2007 South Korean presidential election, emerging in third place of the party primary. Party leaderships Lee then served as leader of the Democratic United Party from June to November 2012, which ended early amid deadlocked negotiations to unify the presidential bids of Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo for the 2012 presidential election. ==Death==

Lee died on 25 January 2026 at the age of 73 while attending a meeting of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council in Vietnam, becoming one of a few South Korean prime ministers to die abroad. He reportedly collapsed while waiting for his flight at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on 23 January. Diagnosed with myocardial infarction, Lee underwent stent insertion followed by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment but was unable to recover despite significant medical assistance after suffering two cardiac arrests. Lee's body was repatriated aboard a Korean Air flight from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, landing on the morning of 27 January at Incheon International Airport. Lee's body was welcomed at the airport by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, floor leader Han Byung-do, Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, and Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party. Escorted by military honor guard, Lee's wake was held at the memorial altar of Seoul National University Hospital. President Lee Jae Myung posthumously awarded Lee Hae-chan the Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit on 27 January 2026. The main funeral ceremony was then held at 9 a.m. at the National Assembly on 31 January, attended by President Lee with prime minister Kim Min-seok and National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik giving the eulogy. Lee was cremated at 11 a.m. at Seoul Memorial Park in Seocho District, southern Seoul. Following the cremation, the procession stopped by the late former prime minister's home in Jeondong-myeon, Sejong. In accordance with his wishes to be laid to rest near his parents, Lee was buried at Eunhasu Park Cemetery in Sejong. ==National honours==

• (2026) • Mugungwha Medal of the Order of Civil Merit ==See also==