Lee Chul-seung was a South Korean 7-term National Assemblyman and a founding father of the Republic of Korea after the Korean War. A political heavyweight, Lee was an independence and democracy fighter and leader; anti-communism; anti-military rule; anti-Japanese rule; an advocate of bipartisanship particularly when it came to national security; and an advocate of non-governmental organizations. After Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, Lee "led a student union that opposed a trusteeship, under which Korea would be governed by foreign powers after World War II, and entered politics in 1954 after winning a parliamentary seat." Lee and his two political rivals former President Kim Young-sam and former President Kim Dae-jung were famous for their political competition and the establishment and development of democracy in South Korea. He was given an honorable burial for his life contributions at the Seoul National Cemetery on March 2, 2016 where former South Korean presidents are also buried.
Early life and education
1949 – B.A. in Political Science, Korea University
President, Council for Commemorative Projects for Korea's Anti-trusteeship & Anti-communism Student's Movement
1985
Member, The 12th National Assembly
1987
자유민주총연맹 총재
Political Exile
On May 16, 1961, Park Chung-hee, Kim Jong-pil, and Lee Nak-sun successfully staged a military coup d'etat. Immediately after, Park Chung-hee sent aides to try and win over key opposition lawmakers including Lee who rejected Park's request for help. Lee was forced to leave politics and went to the United States where he was vocally opposed to the military coup in Korea and studied Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Political Comeback
Post-Political Career and Civil Society Leadership
Chairman, Association of Patriotic Societies for National Foundation
1998
Chairman, Preparatory Committee for Commemorative of the Founding of the Republic of Korea
2005
자유민주비상국민회의 대표의장
2007
Chairman, Parliamentarians' Society of the Republic of Korea
2011~2016
Chairman, The Elders Group of the Parliamentarians' Society of the Republic of Korea
Death
Lee died on February 27, 2016 at 03:45 KST, at Samsung Hospital in Seoul at the age of 94. A funeral was held for him on March 2, 2016 that began with a five-day wake and a police-escorted procession that led to the National Assembly and ended with a gun salute at the Seoul National Cemetery where he is buried along with former South Korean presidents.
