Lee Jae Myung

About

Lee Jae Myung (Korean: 이재명; pronounced [i.dʑɛ.mjʌŋ]; born c. 8 December 1963) is a South Korean politician and lawyer who has served as the 14th president of South Korea since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), he was the party’s leader while serving as member of the National Assembly for Gyeyang B from 2022 to 2025. Lee previously served as governor of Gyeonggi from 2018 to 2021 and as mayor of Seongnam from 2010 to 2018.
Born into a poor family in Andong, instead of attending middle school, Lee began working at a Seongnam factory at an early age. There, an accident left him disabled. He earned middle and high school equivalency diplomas and graduated from Chung-Ang University with a law degree in 1986. As a human rights and labor lawyer, Lee worked with Minbyun to organize efforts advocating for opening a new hospital in Seongnam.
Lee entered politics in 2005 and ran in several elections without success. He was elected mayor of Seongnam in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. In 2017, he sought the DPK’s presidential nomination but lost to Moon Jae-in. Lee resigned as mayor of Seongnam in 2018 to run for governor of Gyeonggi Province, won that race, and served until 2021…