Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Lee Hoi-chang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lee Hoi-chang | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: |
이회창
|
| Hanja: |
李會昌
|
| Revised Romanization: | Yi Hoechang |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Yi Hoech'ang |
Lee Hoi-chang (born June 2, 1935) is a South Korean politician. He was born to an elite family in Seoheung, Hwanghae province, which now is part of North Korea, but he grew up in the South after his father, a public prosecutor, got a new posting.
Like his father, Lee studied law and became a judge at the age of 25, having graduated from the Seoul National University. He went on to become the country's youngest-ever Supreme Court judge at the age of 46, and was nicknamed "Bamboo", a Korean term for an upright person of principle.
In 1988, Lee was appointed the National Election Commission chief, and in 1993 moved on to head the Board of Audit and Inspection under President Kim Young-sam. He was appointed prime minister the same year but resigned after a few months, frustrated at the lack of real power in the mainly ceremonial job.
In 1996 he led the parliamentary campaign of the then-ruling New Korea Party (NKP), which merged with another party to become the current Grand National Party in 1997. Lee was elected as the party's presidential candidate for the presidential election scheduled for the same year. Although the candidacy seemed a sure note to victory in the beginning, Lee ultimately lost to Kim Dae-jung in the midst of Asian economic crisis. His campaign was tainted by accusations that his two sons avoided compulsory military service by deliberately losing weight before medical checkup.
Lee again sought to win the presidency in 2002. Although corruption scandals marred the incumbent government, he again lost to Roh Moo-hyun, Kim Dae-jung's successor, unable to cope with the opponent's youthful and vigorous campaign strategy. Lee subsequently announced retirement from politics.
Lee's platform for both elections was consistent with the basic tenet of South Korean conservatism which included a tough policy on North Korea, market-oriented and pro-business economic policies and crackdown on illegal strikes. Lee and his party repeatedly criticized Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine policy", and insisted financial aid to North Korea should be cut off until its alleged nuclear weapon program is dismantled.