Lee myung bak biography of christopher

Biography of Lee Myung-bak

Lee Myung-bak, the former President of South Korea, was born on December 19, , in Osaka, Japan, in one of the districts. He was one of seven children of Korean immigrants working on a Japanese farm and was given the Japanese name Akihiro Tsukiyama at birth. In , after Japan's defeat in World War II, Lee's family returned to Korea to his father's hometown, a small fishing village called Pohang, located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The family lost all their possessions during the move and had to cope with poverty.

In , Lee enrolled in an evening high school in Seoul, where his family had relocated. In his free time, he worked as a garbage collector. In , Lee entered the Korean University in Seoul and, in order to earn money for tuition, worked as a janitor and popcorn seller. In , Lee became the head of the student council at his faculty. In , he was arrested and spent six months in prison for participating in an anti-government demonstration against the normalization of relations with Japan. Lee graduated from university in with a degree in Business Administration and then went through an interview process and was hired by the relatively unknown Hyundai Construction company.

According to his own words, Lee achieved rapid career growth by working 18 hours a day. In , he became the president of Hyundai Engineering & Construction. Later, Lee headed more than ten companies within the Hyundai conglomerate, which was one of the main enterprises involved in the modernization of South Korea. From to , Lee held positions such as Deputy Chairman of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of the South Korean Management Association. In , Lee became the president of Hyundai Engineering & Construction and served as the CEO of Halla Engineering & Construction and Incheon Steel Works. According to the press, from to , he was the one who managed the corporation, not its founder, Chung Ju-yung. In , Lee retired from business and entered politics. He was elected as a member of the National Assembly in and was reelected for a second term in However, due to a scandal involving overspending on his election campaign, Lee was forced to resign in

For several years, Lee taught in the United States at George Washington University. In , he served as an economic advisor to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. In , Lee was elected as the mayor of Seoul from the Hannara Party. One of his most important projects as mayor was the creation of the Cheonggyecheon recreational area in the center of Seoul. Additionally, Lee focused on developing the city's transportation infrastructure, implementing dedicated bus lanes, and creating parks in the capital of South Korea. During his tenure until June , Lee served as the chairman of the Council of Mayors and Governors of South Korea.

In late , Lee won the presidential elections and took office on February 25, As the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee took a tough stance towards North Korea and criticized its actions. This led to a significant deterioration in relations with North Korea: the authorities completely froze steps towards reintegration and accused Lee of attempting to assassinate the country's leader, Kim Jong-il. In January , North Korea announced its withdrawal from all previous peace agreements and in February , expressed readiness for war with South Korea. Lee is married and has three daughters and a son. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church and enjoys tennis, music, and swimming. Due to his persistence in achieving goals in politics and business in South Korea, Lee has earned the nickname "Bulldozer."