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Lee Beom-seok (prime minister)

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His Excellency
Lee Beom-seok
1st Minister of National Defense
In office
August 15, 1948 – March 20, 1949
PresidentSyngman Rhee
Prime MinisterHimself
Vice PresidentYi Si-yeong
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byShin Song-mo
1st Prime Minister of South Korea
In office
July 31, 1948 – April 20, 1950
PresidentSyngman Rhee
Vice PresidentYi Si-yeong
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byShin Sung-mo (acting)
Member of the House of Councillors of the Republic of Korea
(5th National Assembly)
In office
August 8, 1960 – May 16, 1961
PresidentYun Po Sun
Prime MinisterChang Myon
Vice PresidentPosition abolished
Personal details
Born(1900-10-20)October 20, 1900
Hwangseong, Korean Empire
DiedMay 11, 1972(1972-05-11) (aged 71)
Seoul, South Korea
PartyLiberal
SpouseKim Maria
Military service
AllegianceProvisional Government of the Republic of Korea Korean Provisional Government
South Korea South Korea
Branch/serviceKorean Liberation Army
RankGeneral
Battles/warsBattle of Qingshanli
Korean name
Hangul
이범석
Hanja
李範奭
RRI Beomseok
MRI Pŏmsŏk
Art name
Hangul
철기
Hanja
鐵驥
RRCheolgi
MRCh'ŏlgi
ClanJeonju Yi clan

Lee Beom-seok (Korean: 이범석; October 20, 1900 – May 11, 1972), also known by his art name Cheolgi, was a Korean independence activist who served as the prime minister of South Korea from 1948 to 1950.[1] During the Japanese rule of Korea, he participated in the armed independence movement in Northeast China and served as the Chief of Staff of the Korean Liberation Army. He headed the Korean National Youth Association after the nation's independence.[2] Upon the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea in 1948, he served as the first Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defense.

Early life

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Lee Beom-seok on October 20, 1900, was born in Seoul, Korean Empire. His father, Lee Mun-ha, was a government official. He was a descendant of Sejong the Great's son Gwangpyeong Daegun (광평대군; 廣平大君).[3]

Career in exile

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Lee and thousands of other Korean independence activists went into exile in the Republic of China after the violent suppression by the Japanese of the March First Movement.

In 1919, he started studying at the Shinheung military academy (Korean: 신흥무관학교; Hanja: 新興武官學校), which was created to build an army to fight for independence. Soon after, Lee fought in the Battle of Cheongsanni, a six-day engagement in eastern Manchuria.

In 1941, he served as a general and chief of staff in the Korean Liberation Army, the army of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. He was also instrumental in negotiating with the US Office of Strategic Services to create the Eagle Project, a joint mission with the Provisional Government to infiltrate occupied Korea during World War II.

In 1945, Lee attempted to return to Korea but was forced to remain in exile in China.

Career after liberation of Korea

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In 1946, Lee returned to Korea and helped found the Korean National Youth Association with Ahn Ho-sang.[4] He was opposed to Kim Ku's South-North negotiation (남북협상; 南北協商) plans and allied himself with Syngman Rhee 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.

Following his term in office, he 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.[5] At the end of his career, Lee served as an adviser on the Board of National Unification (국토통일원; 國土統一院) and mentored Park Chung Hee as an elder of the nation.

On May 10, 1972, he was granted an honorary doctorate by the Taiwan Chinese Academy.

Death

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Lee died on May 11, 1972, a day after receiving his honorary degree. He died of a myocardial infarction in the Seongmo hospital of Myeong-dong in Seoul. His state funeral was held in the plaza on the mountain Namsan on May 17, and he was buried in Seoul National Cemetery.[6]

Bibliography

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

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Yahu! Baekgwasajeon 야후! 백과사전 [Yahoo! Encyclopedia], s.v. "Lee Beom-seok" 이범석, 올인올 통합사전-언제 어디서나 Alt + Click 하자!. Retrieved 2009-04-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ↑ Carter J. Eckert, Ki-baik Lee, Young Ick Lew, Michael Robinson, and Edward W. Wagner, Korea Old and New: A History (Seoul: Ilchokak / Korea Institute, Harvard University, 1990), 351.
  3. ↑ 철기 이범석 장군 기념사업회('Chulgi' Lee Beom-seok General's Anniversary) : Lee Beom-Seok(이범석). Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  4. ↑ "이범석" (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  5. ↑ 인물로 보는 항일무장투쟁사(Armed Resistance against Japanese seeing human) : 역사문제연구소(Research Institute of Historical Problems), 1995, 73p. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  6. ↑ "혼돈의 해방공간서 자유민주주의 초석을 놓다" [Put the basis of Liberal Democracy in Chaotic place]. 동아일보 (in Korean). 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2026-06-30.

Site web

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