Lee Wan-koo

Prime Minister of South Korea

16 July 1950 Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea

-

17 February 2015 – 27 April 2015

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee. His Excellency Lee Wan-koo이완구 39th Prime Minister of South KoreaIn office 17 February 2015 – 27 April 2015PresidentPark Geun-hyePreceded by Chung Hong-wonSucceeded by Choi Kyoung-hwan (Acting) Chairman of the Saenuri Party Interim In office 15 May 2014 – 13 July 2014Preceded by Hwang Woo-yeaSucceeded by Kim Moo-sungGovernor of South Chungcheong ProvinceIn office 1 July 2006 – 4 December 2009Preceded by Sim Dae-pyungSucceeded by Ahn Hee-jungMember of the National AssemblyIn office 25 April 2013 – 29 May 2016Preceded by Kim Geun-taeSucceeded by Chung Jin-sukConstituencyBuyeo–CheongyangIn office 30 May 1996 – 29 May 2004Preceded by Cho Bu-youngSucceeded by Kim Hak-wonConstituencyCheongyang–Buyeo Personal detailsBorn (1950-07-16 ) 16 July 1950 (age 71) Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, South KoreaPolitical partySaenuriAlma materSungkyunkwan University Michigan State University Dankook University Lee Wan-koo (Korean: 이완구 ; born 16 July 1950) is a South Korean politician. He was the 39th Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea. Biography Lee was born in Cheongyang, Chungcheongnam-do. After graduating from Sungkyunkwan University, Lee worked as a public officer in the Economic Planning Board (current Ministry of Strategy and Finance) and later moved to the National Police Agency. From 1982 to 1984, he studied at Michigan State University in the United States and received an M. A. in Criminal Justice. From 1986 to 1989, Lee served as consul at the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles, United States. In 1996, Lee entered into politics. He joined the New Korea Party(current Saenuri Party) and in the 1996 election, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly. In the 2006 election, he was elected as a governor of Chungcheongnam-do. He resigned as governor on 23 December 2009. Lee was diagnosed with blood cancer. After recovering, he was re-elected as a member of the National Assembly at the 2013 by-election. In 2014, he served as Floor Leader of the Saenuri Party. On 23 January 2015, President Park Geun-hye named Lee as Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea. A three-term parliamentarian and former governor of South Chungcheong Province, Lee was confirmed by the National Assembly as Prime Minister on 16 February 2015. The National Assembly voted with 148 Yes, 128 No, and 5 Abstain. 155 Saenuri, 124 NPAD and 2 Independents participated in the vote. On 20 April 2015, Lee offered to resign as Prime Minister, amid allegations of bribery. He formally stepped down on 27 April 2015, apologizing over a scandal in which he was accused of taking an illegal cash gift from a businessman. President Park Geun-hye accepted Lee's resignation. In 2016 he was convicted of taking illegal funds.