1. Overview
Lee Hong-Koo (이홍구I HongguKorean; born May 9, 1934), also known by his pen name Hyodang (효당HyodangKorean), is a prominent South Korean former academic, politician, and diplomat. He is widely recognized for his significant contributions to the nation's public life, notably serving as the 28th Prime Minister of South Korea from 1994 to 1995 under President Kim Young-Sam. Lee had a distinguished academic career as a professor of political science at Seoul National University before transitioning into government. His public service roles included Minister of Unification and Ambassador to the United Kingdom. After his premiership, he continued to serve as a member of the National Assembly for the New Korea Party, briefly leading the party, and later as Ambassador to the United States during the Kim Dae-Jung administration. In his post-political career, Lee founded the influential East Asia Institute, an independent think tank, and contributed to public discourse as a newspaper columnist, engaging in discussions on international relations, including inter-Korean and Japan-Korea affairs.
2. Early life and education
Lee Hong-Koo was born on May 9, 1934, in Yeoyu-ri, Koyang District, Gyeonggi Province during the period of Japanese Korea. This area is now part of Yeouido Island in Seoul, though other sources also indicate his birthplace as Goyang District, which is now part of Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. He hails from the Jeonju Lee clan, which was the ruling dynasty of Korea from 1392 to 1910 during the Joseon Dynasty. He is a 15th-generation descendant of Yi Jeon, Prince Yeongsan, who was a son of King Seongjong. Lee was raised in Gyeongseong (the Japanese name for Seoul) and in 1953, he graduated from the elite Gyeonggi High School. The same year, he enrolled in the Seoul National University to study law but withdrew in 1954.
2.1. Education
In 1955, Lee Hong-Koo moved to the United States to continue his academic pursuits, entering Emory University where he majored in political science and earned his bachelor's degree in 1959. He furthered his studies at Yale University, where he obtained a Master of Arts degree in political science in 1961 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in political science in 1968. In recognition of his achievements, Emory University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1978.
3. Academic career
Lee Hong-Koo's academic career spanned over three decades, with significant tenures in both the United States and South Korea. From 1964 to 1968, he served as an adjunct professor at Emory University in the United States. Following his time at Emory, he returned to Korea in 1968 or 1969 to become a professor of political science at Seoul National University, the nation's top university, where he taught until 1973. He briefly returned to the United States in 1973-1974, first as a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 1973, and then at Harvard Law School in 1974. After this period, he resumed his professorship at Seoul National University, continuing in this role until 1988 when he transitioned into government service.
4. Political career
After dedicating 33 years to academia, divided between the United States and Seoul, Lee Hong-Koo embarked on a distinguished political career, holding several high-profile government and party positions.
4.1. Minister of Unification
Lee Hong-Koo served as the Minister of Unification (or its equivalent) under two different administrations. His first appointment came in 1988 when newly elected President Roh Tae-Woo named him Minister of the National Unification Agency, a position he held until 1990. Later, in 1994, under President Kim Young-Sam, he was appointed Minister of Unification, serving until December 1994. In this role, he was responsible for inter-Korean affairs and national policy related to reunification.
4.2. Ambassador to the United Kingdom
From 1991 to 1993, Lee Hong-Koo served as the South Korean Ambassador to the United Kingdom, appointed by President Roh Tae-Woo. During his diplomatic service in London, he represented South Korea's interests and fostered bilateral relations between the two nations.
4.3. Prime Minister
Lee Hong-Koo served as the 28th Prime Minister of South Korea under President Kim Young-Sam from December 17, 1994, to December 17, 1995. In South Korea's strong presidential system, the prime minister's position is subordinate to the presidency. Although his premiership concluded in December 1995, Lee remained a prominent figure in the political landscape. He later resigned from his top leadership position within the New Korea Party in December 1996, following widespread public opposition to the government's swift passage of a revised labor law.
4.4. New Korea Party activities
In 1996, at the suggestion of then-President Kim Young-Sam, Lee Hong-Koo formally joined the New Korea Party (formerly the Democratic Liberal Party), which was the ruling party at the time. The New Korea Party was a rebranded coalition of conservative and moderate forces that had initially formed in 1990 through the merger of Kim Young-Sam's centrist Unification Democratic Party, Kim Jong-Pil's party, and Roh Tae-Woo's conservative Democratic Justice Party, which was considered a successor to the military-oriented regimes of the 1960s to 1980s. The party was renamed 'New Korea' after Kim Jong-Pil's faction departed the coalition in 1995. This party would later be renamed the Grand National Party in 1998 and largely persisted through the mid-2010s.
Lee was elected as a member of the National Assembly in the 1996 South Korean legislative election in April 1996. He secured his seat as the second name on the national proportional representation list for the New Korea Party, a high slot that guaranteed his entry into the legislature. The New Korea Party won 139 out of 299 seats in that election, significantly outperforming its rivals, which included Kim Dae-Jung's party (79 seats) and Kim Jong-Pil's breakaway right-wing party (50 seats).
Lee's political ascent was rapid in 1996. He quickly became a member of the Executive Committee of the New Korea Party and subsequently rose to become the party's leader. During this period, he was widely considered a potential successor to President Kim Young-Sam, whose term was set to conclude in February 1998. From 1995 to early 1996, Lee also served as the chairman of the World Cup Bidding Committee, which successfully lobbied for South Korea to co-host the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Japan, a decision announced in May 1996. However, in December 1996, following intense public backlash against the government's controversial and rapid passage of a revised labor law, Lee Hong-Koo resigned from his top leadership position within the New Korea Party, though he remained a party member. Following the onset of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the subsequent election of opposition candidate Kim Dae-Jung of the National Congress for New Politics as president in December 1997, Lee Hong-Koo continued to serve as a sitting National Assembly member for the party, which had been rebranded as the Grand National Party in November 1997.
4.5. Ambassador to the United States
On March 24, 1998, President Kim Dae-Jung nominated Lee Hong-Koo to serve as the South Korean Ambassador to the United States. This decision, coming after about 20 days of deliberation, was notable because Lee Hong-Koo was, at the time, serving as a top advisory figure for the Grand National Party, which was the main opposition party. His appointment, along with the concurrent nomination of Lee Sung-Soo (also a former prime minister from the previous government) as Unification Minister, was interpreted by the Foreign Ministry as a signal of the new administration's intent to pursue a bipartisan foreign policy. Lee Hong-Koo served as Ambassador to the United States for two and a half years, from May 1998 until August 2000, when he was succeeded by Yang Sung-chul. His tenure as ambassador coincided with the era of the "Sunshine Policy", a period of improving inter-Korean relations that contributed to President Kim Dae-Jung becoming a strong contender for the Nobel Peace Prize, which he was awarded in October 2000.
5. Post-politics career
After a distinguished 12-year period in government and diplomacy (1988 to 2000) and two years in active electoral politics within the National Assembly (1996-1998), Lee Hong-Koo transitioned back to private life in 2000. He remained active in public discourse, becoming a newspaper columnist and engaging in the world of think tanks and policy. He became a member of the elite Club of Madrid, an organization of former heads of state and government, and served as a board member of the Seoul Forum. He also founded his own influential think tank.
5.1. Founding the East Asia Institute
In May 2002, Lee Hong-Koo established the East Asia Institute (EAI), an independent, non-profit think tank based in Seoul dedicated to political and foreign policy research. Under his leadership, the EAI gained significant international recognition. By the 2010s, it consistently ranked among the "top 100 think tanks" globally, out of approximately 6,000 institutions worldwide. Its research and institutional model have been recognized as a benchmark for emerging research institutions in developing countries. Lee Hong-Koo served as the Chairman of the Board at the EAI for exactly ten years, retiring from the position in May 2012, coinciding with his 78th birthday. He was succeeded by Ha Young-Sun, who continued as chairman.
5.2. Journalism and controversies
Lee Hong-Koo contributed articles as a columnist for the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper over several years. In 2011, a notable public debate arose involving the left-wing academic Chin Jung-kwon. Chin published his own columns in Hankyoreh, a progressive South Korean daily, on the same days that Lee's columns appeared in JoongAng Ilbo. This pattern, which Chin initiated on April 11, 2011, continued for 10 consecutive postings until October 14, 2011, with Chin's columns typically appearing about 20 hours after Lee's. This synchronized publication led some to describe Chin's actions as "stalking" Lee's columns. Although Chin's specific purpose for this pattern was not officially verified, he faced accusations on Twitter related to suspected computer hacking and his sexual identity. After this incident, Chin's columns were no longer published in this manner.
6. Personal life
Lee Hong-Koo is married to Kang Joo-hyun. They have three children: one son and two daughters.
7. Assessment and impact
Lee Hong-Koo's career has had a significant impact on South Korean politics, academia, and society, marked by his transition from a distinguished academic to a key political figure and diplomat. His tenure as Prime Minister under President Kim Young-Sam, while subordinate to the presidency, placed him at the center of national governance. His later resignation from the New Korea Party leadership following the controversial labor law revision in 1996 highlights the challenges and public opposition faced by the government during that period. His appointment as Ambassador to the United States under the Kim Dae-Jung administration was seen as a deliberate move towards bipartisan foreign policy, reflecting a period of political maturity in South Korea. In his post-political life, Lee continued to contribute to public discourse, notably through founding the East Asia Institute, which became a highly respected independent think tank, influencing policy and research. He has also remained engaged in international dialogue, offering his perspectives on critical regional issues. For instance, on October 10, 2019, amidst deteriorating relations due to issues like the forced labor lawsuit and trade disputes, Lee Hong-Koo, along with other prominent figures from South Korean political, religious, and academic circles, issued a statement urging dialogue with then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The statement called for the abolition of export regulations and the maintenance of constitutional principles, underscoring his continued involvement in advocating for improved Japan-Korea relations.