Lee Jun-seok

Junseok "Andy" Lee (Hangul: 이준석) is a South Korean entrepreneur and a founder of Edushare, an educational service organization. He is currently one of the 11-member Grand National Party’s Leadership Council. He is the youngest member ever to sit in the Council that was given the power to overhaul the Party.[1]

Education

He studied in American school in Indonesia for one year.[2] Junseok Lee graduated from Seoul Science High School, a science magnet school in Korea. After attending KAIST for a few months, he went to Harvard College and graduated in 2007 with a BA in Economics and Computer Science.

Work

During college, he interned as an aide to Assemblyman Yu Seung Min of the National Assembly, a Grand National Party politician and a friend of Junseok Lee's father. While serving as a programmer at Innotive, an IT firm owned by Nexon, in lieu of the compulsory military service, he founded Edushare, a service organization similar to Teach for America to provide academic services to lower income students.[3] He first began the organization by an online plea in Seoul Science High Alumni website to recruit volunteers. He met Park Geun Hye once or twice while serving as the volunteer and CEO of the organization. In 2010, he founded ClasseStudio, an online education venture along with the people he met at Innotive.

Grand National Party Leadership Council

Handpicked by Rep. Park Geun-hye, the party’s leading presidential candidate, Lee Jun-seok is the youngest ever to hold a leadership position in the history of the conservative ruling party. The Leadership Council will make key decisions on behalf of the ruling party, including the selection of candidates to run in the parliamentary elections in April. Pundits view the appointment to appeal to the younger demographics and counter the surging popularity of Ahn Cheol-Soo.[4] Junseok Lee's background in computer science and a track record of public service resemble those of Ahn Cheol-Soo and some see that as the reason for the appointment.

Controversies

Lee's background and comments have been reported heavily in the Korean media upon his appointment. Recently he asked the host of "I'm a Weasel", a progressive and popular podcast for political satires and critic of the conservative Grand National Party, help to investigate the political scandal that is plaguing the Grand National Party. Kang Yong-suk, a national assemblyman made some attacks on Junseok Lee's qualifications. The critics of the Grand National Party argue that Junseok Lee's old Tweets show his indifference to the average Koreans and that he belongs to the upper elite as his Harvard education shows. Lee's tweet that stated "The National Council of the Victims of Forced Eviction must be mentally retarded." was viewed as evidence of his indifference and created particularly harsh criticisms.[5] Lee apologized for the remark and his uncontrolled emotions.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 26 year old grabs spotlight among new GNP leaders
  2. ↑ 한나라 비대위원 이준석 아버지, 유승민 의원과 친구
  3. ↑ Young start-up CEO steals show
  4. ↑ GNP's New Leadership Holds First Official Meeting; DUP Pledge to Achieve Fair Elections
  5. ↑ SBS 정성근 앵커, “이준석, 강용석과 같은 과”
  6. ↑ 이준석 "박근혜, 의혹 신속히 털고 가야"
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