Hangul 이철승 Hangul 소석 Hanja 李哲承 Hanja 素石 | Name Yi Cheol-seung | |
Revised Romanization Yi Cheol-seung McCune–Reischauer Lee Cheol-seung |
Lee Chul-seung (or Yi Cheol-seung, Lee Chul-sung or Lee Chul Sung) (Hangul:이철승, Hanja:李哲承; May 15, 1922 – February 27, 2016) was a South Korean 7-term National Assemblyman (lawmaker, conservative) and a founding father of the Republic of Korea after the Korean War (1950-1953). A political heavyweight, Lee was an independence and democracy fighter and leader; anti-communism; anti-military rule; anti-Japanese rule; an advocate of bipartisanship particularly when it came to national security; and an advocate of non-governmental organizations. After Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, Lee "led a student union that opposed a trusteeship, under which Korea would be governed by foreign powers after World War II, and entered politics in 1954 after winning a parliamentary seat." Lee and his two political rivals former President Kim Young-sam and former President Kim Dae-jung were famous for their political competition and the establishment and development of democracy in South Korea. He was given an honorable burial for his life contributions at the Seoul National Cemetery on March 2, 2016 where former South Korean presidents are also buried.
Contents
- Early life and education
- Independence Activist
- National Assembly
- Political Exile
- Political Comeback
- Post Political Career and Civil Society Leadership
- Death
- Awards
- Publications
- References
Early life and education
Independence Activist
1946
National Assembly
1954
1958~1961
1961
1966
1969
1971~1973
1973
1975
1976
1978
1984~
1985
1987
Political Exile
On May 16, 1961, Park Chung-hee, Kim Jong-pil, and Lee Nak-sun successfully staged a military coup d'etat. Immediately after, Park Chung-hee sent aides to try and win over key opposition lawmakers including Lee who rejected Park's request for help. Lee was forced to leave politics and went to the United States where he was vocally opposed to the military coup in Korea and studied Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
(This article needs more details about his political exile, his "man without a passport" status, and his asylum in the U.S.)
Political Comeback
(This article needs more details about his political comeback)
Post-Political Career and Civil Society Leadership
1990
1993
1994~
1995~
1996~
1998
2005
2007
2011~2016
Death
Lee died on February 27, 2016 at 03:45 KST, at Samsung Hospital in Seoul at the age of 94. A funeral was held for him on March 2, 2016 that began with a five-day wake and a police-escorted procession that led to the National Assembly and ended with a gun salute at the Seoul National Cemetery where he is buried along with former South Korean presidents.