Chong-Sik Lee

2.1. Birth and early life in Korea and Manchuria

Chong-Sik Lee was born on July 30, 1931, in Anju, South Pyongan Province, which was then part of Korea, Empire of Japan. He was the eldest son of a primary school teacher. When he was three years old, his family relocated to Manchuria (then Manchukuo), where he spent a significant portion of his childhood in cities such as Liaoyang and Tieling. Following the liberation of Korea in 1945, his family found themselves stranded in Liaoyang. Tragically, his father disappeared in March 1946 when Lee was just 14 years old, leaving him as the eldest male and de facto head of the household. His family eventually managed to return to their hometown in 1948, which by then was located in North Korea. Lee never discovered what happened to his father.

2.2. Korean War period and self-study

In 1950, with the outbreak of the Korean War, Lee's family escaped to Seoul, South Korea. During this tumultuous period, he underwent training to join the National Defense Corps, an organization that later became embroiled in a scandal known as the National Defense Corps incident. From 1951 to 1953, he worked as a translator for the Advanced Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ADVATIS), where his duties included interrogating Chinese prisoners of war.

Despite never having formally graduated from middle school, Lee demonstrated an exceptional drive for learning, constantly seeking educational opportunities. During the war, he attended classes at Shinheung College and Kyung Hee University. Although he was unable to graduate from either institution, Kyung Hee University eventually recognized his accomplishments by awarding him an honorary bachelor's degree in October 2014. Lee recounted that he had initially been offered an honorary doctorate, which he declined, as he already held a doctorate. Instead, he requested the bachelor's degree he had originally aspired to earn.

Lee also displayed a precocious talent for languages. He became proficient in Chinese and Japanese while undertaking various odd jobs. When the Korean War began in June 1950, he acquired English through a combination of practical application and independent study. He honed his writing and grammar by maintaining diaries in English and soliciting corrections and assistance from American soldiers. He later documented his effective language learning methodology in an article published in 1995. His intelligence and discipline did not go unnoticed by the Americans, who, after the war subsided, facilitated his travel to the United States in January 1954 for further study.

2.3. Studying in the United States and early research

In 1954, Chong-Sik Lee enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), making him one of the first Korean Americans to attend the institution. To support himself during his studies, he worked as a dishwasher. He successfully earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree from UCLA. In 1957, he was accepted into the PhD program in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. His exceptional aptitude for languages attracted the attention of Robert A. Scalapino, a prominent scholar who was then embarking on a book project concerning communism in East Asia. Lee and Scalapino began an extensive collaborative research endeavor into Korean and other East Asian history. After 16 years of dedicated research, their monumental work, Communism in Korea, was published in 1973, earning them the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award. A revised edition of this work, titled North Korea: Building of the Monolithic State, was published in 2017.

3.1. University appointments and research areas

In 1963, Lee joined the political science department at the University of Pennsylvania, where he introduced the university's first course in Korean studies. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of a dedicated Korean studies department at the university, and by the time of his passing, he held the esteemed title of Emeritus Professor of Political Science. Beyond his tenure at the University of Pennsylvania, Lee also served as an Eminent Scholar at Kyung Hee University, a Research Professor at Korea University, and the Yongjae Chair Professor at Yonsei University in South Korea.

Lee's academic career was marked by a profound focus on several key areas of modern Korean history and politics. His research extensively covered the history of communism in Korea, the complexities surrounding the division of the Korean Peninsula, and the foundational origins of the Republic of Korea. He also undertook detailed biographical studies of influential figures in modern Korean history, including Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea; Lyuh Woon-hyung, a significant Korean politician and reunification activist during the 1940s; and Park Chung Hee, the third president of South Korea, who came to power through a military coup. His works on Korea-Japan relations, communist movements in Manchuria, and the broader international relations of East Asia have been translated into multiple languages and are widely regarded as classic texts within East Asian studies.

3.2. Academic philosophy and major publications

Chong-Sik Lee's philosophy of scholarship was rooted in a deep commitment to empirical rigor and critical inquiry. He devoted more than five decades to meticulously collecting historical records, believing that "By reading various records, I can gain insight as to why certain events occurred, what led to the occurrence of these events, and why historical figures took particular actions." He frequently imparted to his students the conviction that "the true advancement of scholarship is only possible through a repetitive process of inquiry," and he advised them to "accept new theories but to investigate with curiosity when these theories are unconvincing." This intellectual approach underscored his extensive body of work.

His major publications include:

• The Korean Nationalist Movement, 1905-1945 (PhD Dissertation, 1961)
• The Politics of Korean Nationalism (University of California Press, 1963)
• Counterinsurgency in Manchuria: The Japanese Experience, 1931-1940 (Rand Corporation, 1967)
• Communism in Korea (co-authored with Robert A. Scalapino, University of California Press, 1973)
• Kim Kyu-sik ui saengae (The Life of Kim Kyu-sik, Shingu Munhwasa, 1974)
• Materials on Korean Communism: 1945 - 1947 (University of Hawaii, 1977)
• The Korean Workers' Party: A Short History (Hoover Institution Press, 1978)
• Revolutionary Struggle in Manchuria: Chinese Communism and Soviet Interest, 1922-1945 (University of California Press, 1983)
• Japan and Korea: The Political Dimension (Hoover Institution Press, 1985)
• Korea, Land of the Morning Calm (co-authored with Michael Langford, Universe Books, 1988)
• In Search of a New Order in East Asia (Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, 1991)
• Korea Briefing, 1990 (Asia Society, 1991)
• Syngman Rhee: The Prison Years of a Young Radical (Yonsei University Press, 2001)
• 초대 대통령 이승만의 청년시절_{Syngman Rhee's Youth}^Korean (Dong-A Ilbo, 2002)
• 구한말의 개혁 독립 투사 서재필_{Seo Jae-pil, Reformer and Independence Fighter of the Late Joseon}^Korean (Seoul National University Press, 2003)
• 이승만 의 구한말 개혁 운동 : 급진주의에서 기독교 입국론 으로_{Syngman Rhee's Late Joseon Reform Movement: From Radicalism to Christian Nationhood}^Korean (Paichai University Press, 2005)
• 대한민국의 기원: 해방전후 한반도 국제 정세와 민족 지도자 4인의 정치적 궤적_{Origins of the Republic of Korea: International Situation and Political Trajectories of 4 National Leaders Before and After Liberation}^Korean (Iljogak, 2006)
• 여운형 - 시대와 사상을 초월한 융화주의자_{Lyuh Woon-hyung - A Harmonizer Beyond Times and Ideologies}^Korean (Seoul National University Press, 2008)
• "해방3년사 연구의 새로운 방향_{New Directions in the Study of the Three Years Post-Liberation}^Korean", a chapter in 남북한 정부수립 과정 비교, 1945-1948_{Comparing the Establishment of North and South Korean Governments, 1945-1948}^Korean edited by Chul-Soon Lee (Ingansarang, 2010)
• Park Chung Hee: From Poverty to Power (Kyung Hee University Press, 2012/2013)
• A 21st Century View of Post-Colonial Korea (Kyung Hee University Press)
• 이정식 자서전 - 만주 벌판의 소년 가장, 아이비리그 교수 되다_{Chong-Sik Lee Autobiography - Boy Head of Household in Manchuria, Became an Ivy League Professor}^Korean (Iljogak, 2020)

Lee also contributed numerous articles to prominent academic periodicals, including China Quarterly, Asian Survey, Journal of Asian Studies, and Journal of International Affairs.

7.1. Academic legacy

Lee's comprehensive research and prolific publications, particularly on Korean communist history, nationalism, and the nuanced understanding of the Korean Peninsula's division, profoundly shaped and enriched the academic discourse in these areas. His works, especially those concerning Korea-Japan relations, communist movements in Manchuria, and the broader international relations of East Asia, are widely considered foundational and continue to be translated and studied by scholars worldwide. Through his dedication to collecting and analyzing historical records, he provided invaluable insights into the motivations behind historical events and the actions of key figures.

7.2. Influence on future generations

Beyond his published works, Chong-Sik Lee's influence extended to countless students and future scholars through his teaching and intellectual guidance. He consistently emphasized the importance of rigorous inquiry, urging his students that "the true advancement of scholarship is only possible through a repetitive process of inquiry" and encouraging them to "accept new theories but to investigate with curiosity when these theories are unconvincing." This philosophy, coupled with the enduring relevance and depth of his scholarly contributions, continues to inspire and guide new generations of researchers in East Asian studies.