Lee Sang-don (born December 4, 1951Introduction in Korean
/ref>) is a South Korean legal scholar and a

conservative liberal Conservative liberalism or right-liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with Conservatism, conservative stances, or simply representing the right-wing of the liberal movement.Michael Gallagher (academic), M ...

political activist. His

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

philosophy was influenced by

American conservatism Conservatism in the United States is a political and social philosophy based on a belief in limited government, individualism, traditionalism, republicanism, and limited federal governmental power in relation to U.S. states. Conservative ...

and

neoconservatism Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and ...

, but he is critical of South Korean conservatism. He currently works as a professor at

Chung-Ang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is widely regarded as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and a ...

. He is a conservative pundit well known for expressing criticisms towards the

Lee Myung-bak government The Lee Myung-bak government (, RR: ''I Myeong-bak Jeongbu'') was the fifth government of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. It took office on 25 February 2008 after Lee Myung-bak's victory in the 2007 presidential elections. Most of the new cabi ...

. He received criticisms from a group of pro-

Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; ; ; born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the 10th president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and the ma ...

lawmakers for participating in the restructure of the

Saenuri Party The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Han ...

(formally Grand National Party) in the past due to his distance with Lee Myung-bak. He was a member of the National Assembly member of the People's Party, a liberal political party led by

Ahn Cheol-soo Ahn Cheol-soo ( ; born 26 February 1962) is a South Korean politician, medical doctor, businessperson, and software entrepreneur. He currently serves as a member of the National Assembly as part of the conservative People Power Party. Pri ...

Early life

Sang-don was born in

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

. He graduated in

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...

with a B.A. and M.A. in law and later received his Ph.D from

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

in law.

Remarks

On Lee Myung-bak

* He is critical against the real estate cover-ups made by the South Korean President,

, in

Naegok-dong Naegok-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Seocho-gu in Seoul, South Korea. Education * High Schools ** Daniel High School * Elementary Schools ** Naegok Elementary School ** Eonnam Elementary School See also *Administrative divisions of ...

Seocho-gu Seocho District () is one of the 25 '' gu'' (local government districts) which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is generally referred to as a part of Greater Gangnam Area, along with Gangnam District. As of 2022, Seocho District ra ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. * He had expressed concerns through his blog how Lee Myung-bak's political associates could potentially drag down the Lee Myung-bak government and his affiliated Saenuri Party (then Grand National Party) after the next

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

due to Lee's extensive history of political corruptions. * He once said in 2010 that Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye should have separated on their own way because "Lee Myung-bak's leadership heads itself to a potential

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

-like incident". This incident refers to the

South Korean illegal surveillance incident The South Korean illegal surveillance incident ( ko, 민간인 불법사찰 사건, or ''illegal civilian surveillance incident'') was alleged to have occurred in 2010 when the Civil Service Ethics Division (공직윤리지원관실) under the Pr ...

. Lee Myung-bak has been politically isolated from the ruling Saenuri Party as Chairperson

Hong Jun-pyo Hong Joon-pyo (born 20 November 1953), also spelled as Hong Jun-pyo, is a South Korean politician and former prosecutor who is the current Mayor of Daegu, Mayor of Daegu. He previous served as the governor of South Gyeongsang Province, a membe ...

, resigned.

On the Supreme Prosecutors' Office

* He proposed an extensive restructure of the

Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea The Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea (SPO) is a governmental prosecutor organization in South Korea and is run under the Ministry of Justice. As a national representative of prosecutors, the Office works with the Supreme Cou ...

as the organization itself covers up the corruptions generated by officials in the Lee Myung-bak government.

Incidents

On April 4, 2012, Lee abruptly left a live political debate program shown in tvN Asia that generated controversies.

Works

* Lee, Sang-don, ''세계의 트렌드를 읽는 100권의 책'', 기파랑 (2006), * Lee, Sang-don, ''비판적 환경주의자'', 브레인북스 (2006), * Lee, Sang-don, ''위기에 처한 대한민국'', 경덕출판사 (2007), * Lee, Sang-don, ''조용한 혁명'', 뷰스 (2011),

References

External links

*
Official Website
*
Naver Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Sang-don 1951 births Asian conservative liberals Living people People from Busan Academic staff of Chung-Ang University Liberalism in South Korea Tulane University alumni Seoul National University School of Law alumni