Lee Jae Myung facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lee Jae Myung
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이재명
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Lee in 2025
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| 14th President of South Korea | |
| Assumed office 4 June 2025 |
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| Prime Minister |
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| Preceded by |
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| Leader of the Democratic Party | |
| In office 28 August 2022 – 9 April 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Woo Sang-ho |
| Succeeded by | Park Chan-dae (acting) |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 2 June 2022 – 4 June 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Song Young-gil |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Constituency | Gyeyang B (Incheon) |
| Governor of Gyeonggi Province | |
| In office 1 July 2018 – 25 October 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Nam Kyung-pil |
| Succeeded by |
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| Mayor of Seongnam | |
| In office 1 July 2010 – 15 March 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Lee Dae-yup |
| Succeeded by | Eun Su-mi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 8 December 1963 Andong, South Korea |
| Political party | Democratic (since 2014) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse |
Kim Hea Kyung
(m. 1991) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
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| Signature |  |
Lee Jae-myung (born around 8 December 1963) is a South Korean politician and lawyer who became the 14th president of South Korea in 2025. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Lee grew up in a poor family and started working in factories after elementary school. He was injured at work, which left him with a disability. Despite these challenges, he studied hard to pass his school exams and went to Chung-Ang University to study law.
After becoming a lawyer, he worked to help people with their human rights and labor issues. He entered politics and was elected mayor of Seongnam in 2010 and governor of Gyeonggi Province in 2018. He ran for president in 2022 but narrowly lost. He ran again and won the 2025 election.
In 2024, he survived an attack and later played a key role in the impeachment of the former president, Yoon Suk Yeol.
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Early life and education
Lee Jae-myung was born in Andong, South Korea. He was the fifth of seven children in a very poor family. Because his family did not have much money, he often missed out on school trips and fun activities. One of his favorite things to do as a child was fishing with his friends.
When he finished elementary school, his family could not afford to send him to middle school. Instead, his family moved to the city of Seongnam to find work.
Working as a child
Instead of going to school, Lee began working in factories. He was too young to work legally, so he used different names. While working, he had two serious accidents. One injured his finger, and another crushed his wrist. The wrist injury was never treated properly and caused a permanent disability in his arm. Because of this, he did not have to serve in the military.
Seeing other students in their school uniforms made him want to go to a university. He started studying on his own and passed the exams to earn his middle and high school diplomas. His hard work paid off, and he was accepted into Chung-Ang University to study law with a scholarship.
His experiences with poverty shaped his political ideas. He believes in helping the poor and making sure powerful people do not have unfair advantages.
Working as a lawyer
After graduating from law school in 1986, Lee decided to become a human rights and labor lawyer. He wanted to help people, especially workers who were treated unfairly. He opened his own law office in Seongnam.
He became well-known for fighting for a new city hospital after two hospitals in Seongnam closed down. When the city council rejected the idea, Lee protested. This experience made him realize that to make big changes, he needed to get into politics.
Political career
Mayor of Seongnam (2010–2018)
After a few unsuccessful attempts, Lee was elected mayor of Seongnam in 2010. As mayor, he promised to make citizens the leaders of the city. He turned the large mayor's office into a public book cafe for everyone to use.
The city was in debt, so he worked hard to manage its money better. He also became known for using social media like Twitter and Facebook to talk directly with citizens.
He started several programs to help people, including:
- Building the Seongnam Medical Center.
- Giving free school uniforms to students.
- Creating a "youth dividend," which gave money to young people to help them get started in life. This was a form of Universal Basic Income.
Lee also worked to protect animal rights. He helped shut down the dog slaughtering facilities at Moran Market, a place that had been controversial for a long time. He was re-elected as mayor in 2014.
Governor of Gyeonggi Province (2018–2021)
In 2018, Lee was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province, a large and important region surrounding Seoul.
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As governor, he was praised for his quick actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. When a large group of infections happened at a church, Lee went to the home of the church's founder to make sure he cooperated with health officials. This helped stop the spread of the virus.
He also ordered all foreign workers in the province to be tested for COVID-19, which helped find hundreds of new cases. He resigned as governor in 2021 to focus on his run for president.
National Assembly and major events
After losing the 2022 presidential election, Lee was elected as a member of the National Assembly for a district in Incheon. He also became the leader of the Democratic Party.
2024 martial law crisis
In 2024, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, which means the military takes control of the government. Lee and many others believed this was against the law. He went to the National Assembly building to protest, even climbing a fence to get inside. He livestreamed his actions on YouTube, calling for people to protest peacefully. This event led to the impeachment of President Yoon, a process to remove a president from office.
Presidential campaigns
2017 and 2022 elections
Lee first ran for president in 2017 but did not win his party's nomination. He ran again in the 2022 presidential election. He won the Democratic Party's nomination but lost the general election to Yoon Suk Yeol in a very close race.
2025 election
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After President Yoon was impeached, a new election was held in 2025. Lee ran for president for a third time. He won his party's nomination and then won the presidential election on June 3, 2025.
Presidency (2025–present)
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Presidency of Lee Jae Myung
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| 4 June 2025 – present | |
| Premier | Lee Ju-ho (acting) Kim Min-seok |
| Cabinet | Full list |
| Party | Democratic |
| Election | 2025 |
| Seat | Seoul |
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Lee Jae-myung was sworn in as president on June 4, 2025. His inauguration ceremony was held at the National Assembly building.
As president, he began appointing people to his cabinet to help him run the country. One of his first actions was to order the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North Korea, hoping to reduce tensions between the two countries. He is currently working from the Yongsan Presidential Office but plans to move back to the traditional presidential residence, Cheong Wa Dae.
Political positions
Lee's policies are often focused on fairness and helping ordinary people. He is inspired by leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt, who helped America through the Great Depression.
Economy and society
Lee believes that the economy should be fair for everyone. He wants to close the gap between large and small companies and support workers. He also supports a "Green New Deal" to protect the environment while creating new jobs.
- Universal Basic Income: One of his most famous ideas is to give every citizen a regular amount of money, known as a universal basic income. He believes this will help people meet their basic needs and improve the economy.
- Basic Loans: He supports a "basic loan" program that would allow any citizen to borrow money from the government at a low interest rate. This would be a safer option than borrowing from private lenders.
- Youth Policy: Lee wants to help young people by providing them with basic income, affordable housing, and support for finding jobs.
Foreign policy
Lee's foreign policy focuses on what is best for South Korea.
- North Korea: He wants to continue peace talks with North Korea and is willing to ease sanctions if North Korea takes steps to give up its nuclear weapons.
- United States: He sees the U.S. as South Korea's most important ally and supports a strong relationship.
- China: He views China as an important partner for trade and wants to maintain good relations with both the U.S. and China.
- Japan: He wants to have good economic and social ties with Japan but also believes it is important to deal with historical issues between the two countries.
Personal life
Lee married Kim Hea Kyung in 1991. They have two sons. He has a disability in his arm from a factory accident when he was a teenager.
