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Lee Beom-seok | |
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| 이범석 | |
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| Prime Minister of South Korea | |
| In office July 31, 1948 – April 20, 1950 | |
| President | Syngman Rhee |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Shin 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 | |
| President | Yun Po Sun |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1900-10-20)October 20, 1900 |
| Died | May 11, 1972(1972-05-11) (aged 71) |
| Spouse | Kim Maria |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Korean Provisional Government South Korea |
| Branch/service | Korean Liberation Army |
| Rank | General |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 이범석 |
| Hanja | 李範奭 |
| RR | I Beomseok |
| MR | I Pŏmsŏk |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 철기 |
| Hanja | 鐵驥 |
| RR | Cheolgi |
| MR | Ch'ŏlgi |
Lee Beom-seok (Korean: 이범석; October 20, 1900 – May 11, 1972), also known by hisart nameCheolgi, was aKorean independence activist who served as theprime minister of South Korea from 1948 to 1950.[1] He also headed theKorean National Youth Association.[2]
Lee Beom-seok on October 20, 1900, was born inSeoul,Korean Empire. Lee's father was an officer. He was a descendant ofSejong the Great's son Gwangpyeong Daegun (광평대군;廣平大君).[3]
Lee and thousands of other Korean independence activists went into exile in theRepublic of China after the violent suppression by the Japanese of theMarch First Movement.
In 1919, he started studying at theShinheung 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 theBattle of Cheongsanni, a six-day engagement in eastern Manchuria.
In 1941, he served as a general and chief of staff in theKorean Liberation Army, the army of theProvisional Government of the Republic of Korea. He was also instrumental in negotiating with the USOffice of Strategic Services to create theEagle 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.
In 1946, he returned to Korea and helped found theKorean National Youth Association withAhn Ho-sang.[4] He was opposed toKim Ku's south–north negotiations (남북협상;南北協商) and allied himself withSyngman 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, 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.[5] At the end of his career, Lee served as an adviser on theBoard 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 ahonorary doctorate by the Taiwan Chinese Academy.
He died on May 11, 1972, a day after receiving his honorary degree. He died of amyocardial infarction in the Seongmo hospital ofMyeong-dong in Seoul. His state funeral was held in the plaza on the mountainNamsan on May 17, and he was buried inSeoul National Cemetery.[6]
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url= (help){{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url= (help)| Preceded by Office created | Prime Minister of South Korea 1948–1950 | Succeeded by Shin Sung-mo (acting) |
| Preceded by Office created | Minister of National Defence of South Korea 1948–1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Interior Minister of South Korea 1952 | Succeeded by |
 Ambassadors of South Korea to China  | |||||
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| Ambassadors and Envoys to theRepublic of China 1948–1992 |
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| Ambassadors to thePeople's Republic of China 1992 – present |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
