Lee Beom-seok (October 20, 1900 – May 11, 1972) was a

Korean independence activist The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, which w ...

and the first prime minister of South Korea from 1948 to 1950. He also headed the

Korean National Youth Association The Korean National Youth Association () abbreviated as Jokcheong () was a fascist, extreme right-wing group founded on October 9, 1946 under the catchphrase 'national branch, national geography', and led by Lee Beom-seok. KNYA had an ideology ...

(조선민족청년단, 朝鮮民族靑年團). His nickname was Cheolgi.

Biography

Lee Beom-seok was born in Gyeongseong (now Seoul) on October 20, 1900. Lee's father was an officer in the Joseon Dynasty and he was a descendant of

Sejong the Great Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...

's son 'Gwangpyeong Daegun ()'. Lee Beom-seok was exiled to the Republic of China after participating in independence activities as a teenager. In 1919, he started studying at the Shinheung military academy (), a military school whose goal was to build a new army to fight for independence. Soon after, Lee fought in the Battle of Cheongsanni, a six-day engagement in eastern Manchuria. He later served as a general in the Korean Liberation Army for the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. In 1945, Lee attempted to return to Korea but was forced to remain in exile in China. In 1946, he returned to Korea and helped found the

with Ahn Ho-sang. He was opposed to Kim Gu's South-North negotiations () and allied himself with Lee Syng-man to establish a unitary government in South Korea. He served as the new country's first prime minister from July 31, 1948 to April 20, 1950.

Later life and death

Following his term in office, Lee Beom-seok served as the Korean Ambassador to the Republic of China, and as Secretary of the Interior. He ran for the vice presidency in 1952, and again in 1956, but failed to win either election. Throughout the 1960s, he remained a staunch opposition leader to the ruling party. At the end of his career, Lee served as an adviser on the Board of National Unification () and mentored Park Chung-Hee as an elder of the nation. On May the 10th, 1972 he was granted a philosophy doctorate by the Taiwan Chinese Academy. The following day, May 11, he died of a myocardial infarction in the Seongmo hospital of Myeong-dong in Seoul. His state funeral was held in the Square of Namsan Mountain on May 17, and he was buried in

Seoul National Cemetery The Seoul National Cemetery () is located in Dongjak-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The cemetery is reserved for Korean veterans, including those who died in the Korean independence movement, Korean War, and Vietnam War. Four South Korea ...

Posthumous work

* ''Udungbul'' ( ko, 우둥불) * ''Bangrangui Jeong-yeol'' (Passion of Wandering) ( ko, 방랑의 정열) * ''Hangug-ui Bunno'' (Rage of Korea) ( ko, 한국의 분노) * ''Minjok Gwa Cheongnyeon'' (Nationality and the Youth) ( ko, 민족과 청년) * ''Hyeoljeon: Cheongsanni Jakjeon'' (Bloody battle: Strategy of Cheongsanni) ( ko, 혈전: 청산리 작전) * ''Tomsk-ui Haneul Arae'' (Under the Tomsk's Sky) ( ko, 톰스크의 하늘아래)

References

Site web

Lee Beom-seok Memorial museum

Lee Beom-seok
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Beom-seok 1900 births 1972 deaths People from Seoul Korean independence activists Prime Ministers of South Korea South Korean anti-communists Korean revolutionaries South Korean military personnel Korean generals National Defense ministers of South Korea Ambassadors of South Korea to Taiwan Jeonju Yi clan

Biography

Later life and death

Posthumous work

See also

References

Site web