Lee Wan-koo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Lee Wan-koo
이완구
39th Prime Minister of South Korea
In office 17 February 2015 – 27 April 2015
President	Park Geun-hye
Preceded by	Jung Hong-won
Succeeded by	Choi Kyoung-hwan (acting) Hwang Kyo-ahn
Member of the National Assembly
In office 25 April 2013 – 29 May 2016
Preceded by	Kim Geun-tae
Succeeded by	Chung Jin-suk
Constituency	Buyeo–Cheongyang
In office 30 May 1996 – 29 May 2004
Preceded by	Cho Bu-young
Succeeded by	Kim Hak-won
Constituency	Cheongyang–Hongseong
Chairman of the Saenuri Party Interim
In office 15 May 2014 – 13 July 2014
Preceded by	Hwang Woo-yea
Succeeded by	Kim Moo-sung
Governor of South Chungcheong Province
In office 1 July 2006 – 4 December 2009
Preceded by	Sim Dae-pyung
Succeeded by	Ahn Hee-jung
Personal details
Born	(1950-07-16)16 July 1950 Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea
Died	14 October 2021(2021-10-14) (aged 71) Seoul, South Korea
Political party	Saenuri
Alma mater	Sungkyunkwan University (BA) Michigan State University (MA) Dankook University (PhD)

Lee Wan-koo (Hangul: 이완구; Hanja: 李完九) was an important South Korean politician. He was born on July 16, 1950, and passed away on October 14, 2021. He served as the Prime Minister of South Korea for a short time in 2015.

Lee Wan-koo's Early Life and Career

Lee Wan-koo was born in 1950 in a place called Bibong-myeon, which is in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province. After finishing his studies at Sungkyunkwan University, he started working for the government. He worked in the Economic Planning Board, which is now known as the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

Later, he moved to work for the National Police Agency. He also spent some time studying in the United States. From 1982 to 1984, he studied at Michigan State University and earned a master's degree in Criminal Justice. He even worked as a Consul for South Korea in Los Angeles from 1986 to 1989.

Entering Politics

In 1995, Lee Wan-koo decided to become a politician. He joined a political group called the Democratic Liberal Party, which later changed its name to the New Korea Party. In the election held in 1996, he was chosen by the people to be a member of the National Assembly. The National Assembly is like the parliament or congress in other countries, where laws are made.

In 1998, he joined another political group called the United Liberal Democrats. Later, in 2006, he was elected as the governor of South Chungcheong Province. A governor is like the leader of a state or province. He decided to step down from this role in 2009 because he disagreed with some decisions made by the government at that time.

Health and Return to Politics

Lee Wan-koo was diagnosed with a serious illness called multiple myeloma. This is a type of blood cancer. After getting better, he returned to politics. He was elected again to the National Assembly in a special election in 2013. In May 2014, he became a leader in the ruling Saenuri Party.

Serving as Prime Minister

On January 23, 2015, the President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, chose Lee Wan-koo to be the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is a very important leader in the government. The National Assembly approved his appointment on February 16, 2015.

However, Lee Wan-koo's time as Prime Minister was short. On April 20, 2015, he offered to resign from his position. He officially stepped down on April 27, 2015, due to concerns that had been raised. President Park Geun-hye accepted his resignation.

Later Life and Passing

In 2016, Lee Wan-koo's cancer returned. He bravely fought his illness for several years. He passed away on October 14, 2021, at the age of 71, due to multiple myeloma.